


Severed Ties

by Lily1986



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Angst, Betrayal, F/M, Heartbreak, Hydra (Marvel), Romance, S.H.I.E.L.D., Skyeward - Freeform, Sleeping with the enemy, Suspense, Traitor, the man behind the facade, who is agent grant ward, who's playing who
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-06
Updated: 2016-02-01
Packaged: 2018-01-18 10:40:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 22,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1425538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lily1986/pseuds/Lily1986
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set after Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Everything has changed. Betrayal is imminent. But who can you trust when you can't even tell friend from foe anymore? SPOILERS.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. HAIL HYDRA!

**Author's Note:**

> A.N: This one-shot has VERY strong spoilers sprinkled throughout. Spoilers for both the TV show and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Please do not read this unless you're both caught up with the show and you've already watched the movie. But if you don't mind being spoiled, then go for it... read my theory on what's to come. Hope you like it!=]
> 
> Update: I decided to continue this... This first chapter is being retitled: HAIL HYDRA. ;-)

Ward glanced up with a smile when he heard the door opening again. He frowned when he found Coulson looming in the doorway and stood up. "Are you back to accuse me some more?"

"Hardly." Coulson answered curtly. "I need you downstairs. Skye and Fitz are waiting."

"And May?" Ward asked when he saw the petite woman step inside the room wearing handcuffs. His eyes snapped to Coulson. "What the hell is going on?"

"Downstairs… now." Coulson ordered, moving aside to make room for him to leave.

Ward passed by her in silence but urged her to say something, anything, with his eyes. She gave him a cold, hard stare before letting her eyes fall to the floor. He left the interrogation room and headed to the cargo bay like Coulson had instructed.

-

He was frowning as he listened to Coulson explain why May was currently locked up. There was no way that she was a traitor. He knew her well. So did Coulson. May wouldn't betray the team. He finally spoke up on her behalf. "May wouldn't do that, sir. If she says that she was reporting to Director Fury then I believe her. And so should you."

"Given the nature of your relationship with her, Agent Ward, you'll have to forgive me if I can't take your opinion on the matter at face value."

Ward felt himself blush before lowering his gaze. He could feel Fitz and Skye's eyes on him. This wasn't how they were supposed to find out. Especially her.

"Regardless of my relationship status with Agent May, I still believe her." He said through clenched teeth.

"I didn't ask you here to get your opinion on the matter." Coulson continued. "We need to find out where this plane is going and we need to get control back. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be in the cockpit… Fitz…. You're with me."

Ward watched the two of them leave the lab and take the stairs two at a time. He turned back to the only other person still in the room with him. "Skye…"

"You've been sleeping with May?"

He sucked in a breath. "I was sleeping with May. Not anymore."

"How long?" she asked softly.

His eyes scanned her demeanor. She was very calm. Even for Skye. "Since Ireland…"

She licked her bottom lip before nodding in understanding. "Oh."

Turning to leave, she stepped around the table that separated them. Ward grasped her arm, stopping her from leaving the lab. "That's all over now… it's been over… it should never have happened."

"But it did…" she said pulling her arm back from his grasp. "It happened and it continued to happen despite…"

"Despite what?"

"Nothing."

"Skye…"

"I opened up to you in Ireland… I tried to be your friend." She continued. "You could have just said you already had someone warming your bed so I would have made a complete ass of myself."

"Skye… I…"

"Don't apologize." She stopped him. "You actually have nothing to apologize for… you're just my Supervising Officer… You don't owe me an explanation."

She stepped around him as he watched her leave.

-

His eyes locked with hers as soon as he opened the door. He lifted the bottle of whiskey in his hand with a sad smile. "I figured you could use a drink."

She gave him an uncharacteristic smile in return. "Thank you."

Sitting down across from her, he poured them each some of the amber liquid before sliding one of the tumbler glasses toward her. "Is it true?"

She looked up from the drink in her hand and shook her head slowly. "I didn't betray all of you."

He nodded knowingly. "I know that. I meant if it was true that you've been reporting to Director Fury."

She lowered her gaze. "Yes."

"All this time?"

"Yes."

"But May… something is happening… where is Fury now?"

She shook her head. "I don't know."

"How do we get in contact with him?" Ward asked. "How do we find him?"

"I. Don't. Know."

He leaned back. "Someone is trying to control this plane… I think Fitz is getting back the control… but when we land… Coulson is ready to turn you in… I need to know that you're going to be okay when he does."

"I'll be okay."

"I'm going to try to talk to Coulson again… I'm not exactly his favorite person at the moment… but maybe he'll listen to me…"

"I appreciate that, Ward."

He stretched his hand across the table, taking hers and holding it tightly. "I am here for you…"

"Thank you."

-

He stepped out of the room and came face to face with Skye.

"How is she?" she asked.

"She's holding up…"

"You really care about her, don't you?"

"She's my friend, Skye."

"She's lucky to have you then…" she mumbled before walking around him.

-

Skye was typing on a laptop in the lab when Fitz walked in. She looked up and frowned at his saddened face.

"Hey…" she greeted. "You okay?"

"I can't reach Jemma…" Fitz said. "When the line cut off… I've been trying to get in touch with her but I can't."

Skye stood up and walked toward him putting a hand on his shoulder. She tried to reassure him with a bright smile. "She's going to be fine… Triplett is with her… He'll protect her."

Fitz nodded absentmindedly. "What about you? Are you okay?"

Skye let her hand drop. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean…"

"I'm talking about what happened earlier… between you and… he who must not be named…"

Skye cracked a smile before shaking her head. "We haven't really spoken…"

"Skye…"

"He lied, Fitz."

"When?" Fitz asked. "Did he blatantly tell you he wasn't sleeping with May even though he was?"

"Well… no…"

"Then when did he lie?"

"He didn't tell me… therefore, it was omission… and omission and lying are totally the same thing…" she knew she was grasping at straws but she was hurt and she hated feeling hurt.

Fitz raised his eyebrows.

"Don't look at me like that…" she mumbled before sitting back down in front of the laptop.

"First of all, omission… keeping secrets… it's kind of our thing…" he said with a soft smile. "And second of all, have you ever bloody wondered why he would be so careful to keep this from you… of all people…?

She looked up at him with a shrug. "Because he was embarrassed?"

"Or because he didn't want you to know about it…" Fitz shook his head. "I'm sure he has his reasons…"

"I like the idea of him being embarrassed actually."

"That's fine." Fitz shrugged. "You can keep that as the official reason then." She rolled her eyes. "Or… you can ask him… and give him a chance to explain."

"Since when are you on Team Ward?" Skye asked.

"I'm on Team Whoever Saves My Life Countless Times…." Fitz said with a laugh. "Ward is a good man, Skye… he cares a lot about you… and I know you have feelings for him. He should know."

"But what if he loves her, Fitz?"

"Then they'd be together…" he whispered. "But they're not… and you owe it to yourself and to him to find out why."

She nodded before standing and touched his shoulder softly as she passed by. "She'll call."

"I know." He said, looking up with a smile. "Now go…"

She let herself smile and walked out of the lab.

-

The knock on his bunk's door made him jump. "Come…" he cleared his throat. "Come in…"

She poked her head through a small gap. "Is this a bad time?"

He sat up straighter on his bed and shook his head. "Not at all…"

The corner of her lip turned upwards as she walked into the darkened bunk and slid the door closed behind her. The room was in complete darkness now so she stayed firmly planted by the door.

"Skye?"

"Yeah?"

"The light switch is behind you… if you want to…"

She flipped the switch immediately and the room was flooded with light.

"Sorry about that…"

"Don't apologize…" he shook his head. "Is there something you need?"

"To talk to you?"

He scooted over on his bed before patting the mattress next to him. Skye followed his signal and sat on the bed next to him, leaning her head against the wall. He watched her quietly, waiting for her to steer the conversation.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

She just wanted to jump right in then.

"I'm sor-"

"Don't apologize to me…" she turned toward him. "I just want to know why you felt that you had to keep your relationship in the dark… from me…"

He scratched his head. "I don't know."

"Did you not trust me?"

"What?! Of course I trust you, Skye! I trust you with my life!"

"Then…" she turned toward him. "Why did Coulson know and I didn't?"

"May told Coulson… not me…" he defended. She glared at him and he let out a deep breath. "I guess I just didn't want you to know…"

"Why though?"

"Because I didn't want you to look at me the way you're looking at me right now…"

"What way is that?" she asked softly.

"Like I'm not good enough…."

"Ward…" she whispered.

"I get it." He frowned. "My whole life, I've been told what a screw up I was… When I joined S.H.I.E.L.D, I knew I had trust issues. It's why I decided to be a Specialist. The job is lonely but it's also easier."

"Easier than what?"

"Than getting attached to others." He answered. "You can't get hurt if you don't let anyone in."

She nodded in understanding. She'd had the same philosophy growing up.

"But then you literally stormed into our lives… my life… and suddenly… I realized what it meant to be a part of a team… a family…" he shrugged. "I didn't want to jeopardize that. I realized I wanted to be better. You made me want to do better. I didn't just want to keep doing what I'd been doing… I wanted to be different. You changed my mind on a lot of what I was taught to believe since I first joined… S.H.I.E.L.D."

She watched him as he spoke and bit her lip to keep her jaw from quivering.

"What May and I had was purely physical…" he continued. "I'm sorry that I kept it from you. I'm sorry that you found out the way that you did. May and I are friends. We've bonded over our time on this plane… but whatever friendship I have with May, it's nothing compared to-"

"To what?" she asked, silently urging him to continue.

"It's nothing compared to the connection that you and I have…"

She gasped when he said the words. She knew Ward wasn't the romantic type. He wasn't going to declare undying love with Shakespearean dialogue. But what he just confessed, he might as well have told her that he loved her. She knew it but she still needed to hear him say the words.

"Why did you end things with May?" she asked.

"Skye…"

"Did she end them with you?'

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Are you sure you want to know the answer to that?"

She nodded. "I need to hear the answer to that."

He mimicked her nod. "Fair enough…. Lorelei told her that I desired another…"

"Another… what, exactly?"

"Another… team member…." He finished.

Her jaw dropped.

"I guess while I was under Lorelei's control, I confessed to having feelings for someone on my team and I specified that it was not May… Lorelei told her, May broke off our arrangement…"

"Who?"

"What?" he asked in confusion.

"Who did you desire?"

"You mean who do I desire?" he asked with a slow smile. "Present tense…"

"Yeah…. Okay… who….?"

He shook his head and leaned closer to her face. "You…" he breathed.

They wouldn't be able to tell you who initiated the kiss that night. Skye likes to believe that it was her that made the first move but Ward is convinced that he'd closed the gap between them. As their lips battled for dominance, Ward lowered Skye on the mattress beneath him. He kissed from her lips to her jaw, down to her neck eliciting a moan from deep within her throat. The sound jerked him to attention and he sat back away from her.

"What?" she breathed heavily. "What's wrong?"

"I… I just… now isn't a good time…"

"Now's not a good time?!" she screeched. "Are you freaking kidding me?"

"I don't want to just jump into bed with you… I've done that once already…" he explained. "I want to do this right… Go slow… Preferably when we're not in the middle of a civil war…"

She rolled her eyes before scooting off the bed and standing in front of him. "There will always be some kind of war going on, Ward… there will always be bad guys… if you're planning on waiting for the world to be a better place in order to start living your life, then you'll be waiting forever."

She turned to leave but he grabbed her hand. "I just want to wait until you and I are both in a better place. I don't want our first time together to be in the middle of a high tension battle…."

She let herself smile slowly. "Why? The best ones always start that way…"

"Maybe, maybe not…" he shrugged. "All I know is that I want to wait for the right moment… And I don't want to have to keep this a secret… when all the pieces are lined up, then we can put them together."

"Pieces solving a puzzle?"

He let himself smile. "I told you once that you and I see the world differently…"

"I don't know…" she shrugged. "I think you're starting to see the world a little differently from what you used to…"

"I actually think you're right…" he frowned.

She leaned up on her tip toes and kissed the corner of his mouth with a smile. "Goodnight, Agent Ward."

He watched her slip out of his bunk with guilt etched on his face. She slid the bunk door closed just as he heard a soft beep from within his bunk. He strode over to the bed and lifted the mattress, finding the hidden phone. His eyes widened when he received the message.

_Mission Activated. Good luck. Hail H.Y.D.R.A._

Ward looked up from the message and set his jaw. It was time.


	2. Demons... They Fill You With Fear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: This was meant to be a one-shot but given the events within tonight's episode and the fact that my one-shot is practically canon, I figured I'd continue it... Why the hell not? Hope that's okay! ;-)

He'd been looking over the blueprints with Garrett for a while now when the phone in his pocket rang. Garrett looked up with confusion before shaking his head. "I thought I told you to toss that. They can trace it."

"Yes, sir." Ward nodded looking down at the Caller I.D.

Garrett frowned before nodding toward the small device in his rookie's hand. "Answer it."

"Sir?"

"It's not the first time she's called." Garrett continued. "It won't be the last. They know who you really are by now… end it… and then toss that damn phone, son."

Ward nodded watching the older man walk away. He took a deep breath before sliding his thumb across the screen where her smiling face was looking back at him.

"Skye-"

"What the hell?!" the shrill voice on the other end did not let him get another word out. "What the hell is going on?" she was whispering, which told him that she was making this call behind everyone's back. "They're saying you're a traitor… that you killed Agent Hand and are with Garrett… Grant… what is happening?"

He took a deep breath. "It's all true."

There was silence on the other line that caused him to close his eyes and rub his face.

"You're HYDRA?" she whispered in disbelief.

"Yes."

"How long?" she asked.

"What?"

"How long have you been lying to us?" she asked again. "A day? A month? The entire time?"

"Skye-"

"You know that Fitz stood up for you… Fitz and Jemma both stood up for you…" she continued. "Not to mention May and me… hell, even Coulson said there was no way that any of it could be true. Not you…"

He stayed quiet enough that he could hear a choked sob. The sound shattered his heart but he knew he needed to break her own heart to keep her safe.

"Was any of it real?" she finally asked him. "That kiss? Asking me for a drink? Was that real? Or were you just playing me?"

He didn't answer right away. The truth was that it was all real. His feelings for her had always been real. That's what scared him. He'd been taught to not get attached, to stay away from people and never let anyone in. It's why he wasn't a team player. It's why he was so against being put on Coulson's team. There was darkness inside of him that he never wanted anyone to see. So he lied. For her sake and for the sake of the team. He started this mission with Garrett. There would always be a loyalty to Garrett. But he'd be lying if he said he didn't care about that rag tag team he played Scrabble with. Or the rookie hacktivist that he'd spent months training. Or even the warrior with the heart of ice who he used to stay off their radar. He cared about them all. And that's why he lied.

"No…" he choked on his own words. "It wasn't real… none of it. I needed to distract you and I did."

"Go to hell." She whispered with anger before disconnecting the line.

"I'm already there." He mumbled as he looked down at the phone in his hand.

He looked up to find Garrett watching him from across the room with a smug grin. He nodded toward a furnace and Ward understood his meaning before it dawned on him what he was about to do. The moment he tossed that phone in the fire would be the moment that he'd let them all go. It would mean severing all ties to the life he had before today. It would mean saying goodbye to the family he'd chosen and the only woman he'd ever loved.

He squeezed the small phone in his hand one last time before throwing it all away. It was over now. She'd never look at him the same way again. She'd never look up at him with those stars in her eyes. She'd no longer trust him.

He'd devoted his entire life to this organization. Garrett recruited him at the darkest and lowest point of his life. HYDRA had saved him. He owed Garrett his life. They turned him into the man he was now. But who is that man? Is he really a cold blooded killer who's killed two innocent people in two days? Or is he the tortured anti-hero who's got his own motivations for doing the things that he does? The truth was that he didn't know anymore. He didn't even know who he was until he met her. And now that he's lost her for good he feels that he's lost the part of him that he'd somehow found on that airplane.

He looked up to find Garrett waving him over. They had company.

-

She threw the phone against the wall and watched it shatter as she slid down the wall behind her. She folded her arms on her knees and cried. She cried for him. She cried because of him. She cried in spite of him. He'd broken her heart. And he didn't even care. She sucked in a breath when she felt another presence in the room and looked up at the visitor with dark rimmed eyes.

"For all intents and purposes, he taught you well." May said with her eyes scanning the room until they landed on the shattered pieces of what used to be Skye's phone. "You threw your phone."

Skye stood up. "I didn't think I'd need it anymore."

"Skye…"

"I called him…" she bit her lip to keep it from trembling. "I called him and it was like talking to a complete stranger. I didn't even recognize him…"

"Oh Skye…"

"I know what everyone was saying…" she continued. "But I needed to confirm it for myself… I needed to know…"

"And did you?" May asked. "Confirm it?"

Skye nodded. "The Grant Ward we both knew is gone."

"Or maybe this is who Grant Ward has always been and the man we knew was a fraud."

"I refuse to believe that…" Skye shook her head. "I can't shake this feeling that he let us see the real him… at least a happier version of himself…"

"Maybe…." May said with a shrug. "All I know is that he can no longer be trusted… but Skye…" the younger woman looked up from the ground. "He tricked all of us… Not just you."

Skye nodded. "It still hurts…"

May closed the gap between them and did the most uncharacteristic thing Skye had ever seen the older woman do. She hugged her. It took Skye a moment to realize that it was Melinda May's arms wrapped around her in comfort and not Jemma's. She squeezed the warrior's shoulders before nodding and pulling back.

"Thank you…" she said rubbing her nose laughing. "I must look like a mess."

May shook her head with a small smile. "You don't… but if you want to go wash up, I'll let everyone know that you'll be out in a minute."

She turned to leave when Skye called her back again.

"Thank you," Skye said with a smile. "I know you loved him too."

May felt the corner of her lips turn upward. "If you ever need to talk, I'm here."

Skye nodded. "I might take you up on that offer one of these days…"

She watched May duck out of the room and turned toward her bathroom in the small bunker they'd given her. She turned on the light and stood in front of the mirror with a slight frown. Her eyes were rimmed with red. There were tear stains down her cheeks. Her hair was knotted from pulling it so much. She did look a mess but she was grateful for May sugarcoating it for her.

First, she washed her face. It was methodical. Rinse. Lather. Rinse.

Then she brushed her hair slowly. The knots hurt but it was a welcome distraction from the ache in her heart. She could still feel his lips on hers. That was a kiss that had burned her. He'd branded her forever. She'd always be his and that scared her. Because what did that say about her. She'd fallen for the enemy. Granted, she didn't know that he was the enemy at the time but the outcome was still the same.

First it was Miles. She'd thought Miles was the worst she could do. But Grant was in entire different league of bad boys. He was the bad guy. His boss had her shot. All that crap about wanting to protect her, was just crap. He couldn't have actually cared when her life was hanging in the balance because if he did he wouldn't be helping the man who put her there.

When the knots in her hair were all gone, she stared at the brush blankly. She eyed all the hair that she'd pulled and wondered how she hadn't even felt it. She was numb. That was the only explanation. Everything that had happened in the last couple of days left her numb.

She'd once told him that she didn't earn a place at S.H.I.E.L.D. She'd hacked her way unlike everyone else whose name was on the Wall of Valor. She closed her eyes. Agent Avery. Was she HYDRA too? Tossing the brush in the sink, she came to a decision.

She'd given Ward all the intel they'd had on the plane before all hell broke loose. Including some files about Agent Avery and what happened to her. Ward didn't know she was an 0-8-4 but with everything that S.H.I.E.L.D tried to keep secret out in the open, it was only a matter of time before he put two and two together. Garrett wanted her for something. That much had been obvious. It was time they'd found out what made her so special. She needed to tell the rest of the team the truth despite what Coulson and May had advised against.

When she walked into the dining room, both Fitz and Simmons looked up trying to smile. Coulson's smile brightened his face despite all the bad stuff that was happening around them. And May hadn't stopped looking at Coulson.

"Skye?" Coulson asked when he caught her walking toward them with complete determination. "What's wrong?"

"Ward has the hard drive."

It took Coulson a moment before he realized what she meant. He shook his head and looked up at her. "It's not your fault. We all trusted him too-"

"I know…" she said. "That's not why I mentioned it…"

He glanced at May before turning back to Skye. "I'm not following…"

"Ward doesn't know everything and I didn't put a very important piece of information about me in that hard drive…"

"You mean…" May started.

"Where I came from…" Skye nodded. "He doesn't know."

"What are you saying?" Coulson asked.

"To stay one step ahead of him… them…" she corrected herself. "We have to find out everything there is to know about where I came from…" she glanced at Fitz and Simmons with an apologetic look before turning back to Coulson. "We need to find out why I'm an 0-8-4."


	3. Kingdom Come

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ward and Raina finally meet face to face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: I guess I'm on a roll or something... this last episode has left we with so much angst that I just need to get out. I'm not too in love with this chapter... but it's necessary to move the plot along... I know what everyone wants... for Ward and Skye to come face to face again after all that's happened... I hate to say it, but it's going to be a while before that happens. Next chapter, they'll be in the same place though so we're definitely getting closer... I' don't pretend to own the show (although I wish) so all that I write is from my own imagination... including what I write as Skye's origin story and what her being an 0-8-4 actually means... But hopefully, it's something that you all will enjoy... As always, reviews/comments (good and bad) are welcome... I love to know what you all think...

The knock on the door caused her to look up from the screen in front of her. She smiled when she found Simmons standing in the doorway. "Hey…"

"Hi…" Simmons greeted her. "Can we talk?"

Skye closed the laptop and set it aside. "I was waiting for when you'd come looking for me… I almost expected you to send in Fitz though…"

Simmons smiled sadly. "How are you?"

"Me?" Skye asked rubbing her thighs. "I just found out that Hydra has infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D., that my own S.O. is a part of Hydra and that all of my secrets are out there for all to see… so technically, I'm not even safe anymore… I'm feeling grand."

"Stop it."

Skye was taken aback. "Stop what?"

"Stop hiding behind your sarcasm and wit." Simmons continued before stepping further into the room. "You're hurt. And that's okay… Skye, he lied to us all… not just you… he tricked some of the best people in S.H.I.E.L.D., including Director Fury and Commander Hill. He had us all fooled. They both did."

Skye rubbed her face before looking up at Simmons with a small smile. "I know."

"Oh…" Simmons started. "I'm so sorry… just May said that you were beating yourself up earlier and I thought I would come and…."

"Give me a stern talking to?" Skye asked with a widened smile.

Simmons sat down next to Skye, taking her hand in hers. "I promise that we'll get through this… we will survive like Coulson said… We'll stop them."

"I know we will…"

"Skye…?" Simmons started. "Why didn't you tell us? About being an 0-8-4?"

"I couldn't…" Skye frowned. "I was trying to protect you…"

"I'm not angry…" Simmons explained. "I don't know how I feel… but I know I'm not angry…"

"Are you scared?"

Simmons smiled softly. "No."

Skye squeezed her hands when another knock startled her. She looked up to find Coulson standing in front of them. "Simmons, can I have a word with Skye? Alone?"

Simmons nodded, smiling at Skye before standing and walking out the door.

Coulson closed the door behind him and turned to Skye. "We're going to China."

"What?" Skye asked.

"That's where the village you came from is…" Coulson shrugged. "May and I spoke about it… and we both agreed…" he looked at her with a slight frown. "That you're right… whatever is in China, if there is anything in China… we need to get our hands on it first."

Skye raised her eyebrows with a smile. "You got a plan, AC?"

He nodded. "Same protocol… we only trust each other… no one else."

"You sure we can?" Skye asked. "The last time we trusted each other, things didn't go so well…"

"I'm sure… now pack up… wheel's up in thiry."

-

He paced the room and shuddered. It was cold and damp down here. And where the hell was Garrett? He'd left with Ian Quinn earlier and hadn't returned yet. It had taken every ounce of control for Ward not to snap Quinn's neck the moment he saw him when he and Garrett first arrived.

"I must admit… I didn't think I'd be seeing you here…"

He turned to find Raina smiling seductively at him.

"That means I played my part well…"

"Too well," she smirked. "Some would say…"

"Where's Garrett?"

"He and Ian aren't back yet…" she shrugged. "So, Agent Grant Ward… what made you switch sides?"

"Who says I switched sides?" he asked with a smug smirk of his own. "I was given a mission and I carried it out…"

She let a slow smile spread across her face. "Coulson's a good man…"

Ward's smile faltered.

"Don't you owe a man like that something…?"

"I don't owe Coulson… or S.H.I.E.L.D. for that matter anything…."

Raina chuckled menacingly. "No, of course not… Hail Hydra, right?"

Ward narrowed his eyes.

"What about the rest of the team?" Raina continued. "Those adorable scientists that you protected all those months, The Calvary who you carried on an affair with…"

"All part of the plan."

"And her?" Raina asked. "Was she _part of the plan_? What was her name again?"

Ward could feel his jaw lock and clenched his teeth to bite out, "Skye."

"Oh… right…" Raina said with a knowing smile. "Such a pretty name…"

Commotion coming from the other side of the room stopped their conversation. A smiling Garrett rounded the corner and walked straight to Ward, patting him on his back. "We got it… it was right where you said it would be."

"What was?" Raina asked.

"Ward here gave us a neat little machine that's going to cause some major mayhem, ain't that right, son?" Garrett slapped his back excitedly.

"Did he now?" Raina asked faking enthusiasm. "What does it do?"

"Changes the weather…" Ward explained. "Some kid at the Academy created it, Fitz perfected it."

"Interesting…"

"Damn right it is!" Garrett nodded. "I'm going to go make a twister…."

He carried the machine back out the door leaving Raina and Ward alone again.

"Nice of you to hand over such a dangerous weapon…" she said.

Ward shrugged. "It's what I was there for."

"Is that the only toy Coulson and his team confiscated?" she asked.

"It's all that I know about and considering I was there… every… single… day…" he stepped up right in front of her. "I should know, right?"

She smiled slowly. "Well then, I guess we're lucky to have you on our side."

He let himself smile. "Guess so."

"Hey Ward!" Garrett called out to him. "Get out here, man! You've got to see this!"

Ward gave Raina a slight nod before following Garrett's voice out of the room. Raina watched him walk away and took a deep breath before crossing her arms with a hard glare.

-

"So where do they think we're going?" Skye asked.

"Didn't say…" Coulson answered.

"And they're just letting us go?" she asked. "Just like that?"

"Why wouldn't they?" he turned toward her. "We're not their prisoners…"

"No… of course not… just with everything that's going on…" Skye started.

"They're on a need to know basis and they don't need to know…" Coulson answered. "As far as they're concerned, we're moving on… and we're going to keep moving… even after China…"

She nodded in understanding.

"You're in danger, Skye…" Coulson continued. "There's too much information about you out there and if anyone figured out that the 0-8-4 that went missing over 20 years ago is you, a lot of people are going to come looking for you… and we've got to be ready."

She nodded in understanding. "Yes, sir."

He turned to leave before turning back to her. "I know I haven't mentioned it…. But I am sorry… about Ward…"

She gave him a small smile. "Yeah, me too."

-

Raina watched the two of them walk back in and smiled over the computer in front of her.

"Well, don't you look like the cat that ate the canary…" Garrett grinned. "What did you find?"

"Apparently, one of your former S.H.I.E.L.D. comrades aired all of the agency's dirty laundry for everyone to see. … something particularly interesting caught my eye. Do you know what an 0-8-4 is?"

Ward and Garrett looked at each other before Garrett shrugged. "Sure, it's object of unknown origin… Why?"

"Because S.H.I.E.L.D. lost one…" she said with a smile. "Twenty-four years ago…"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. _lost_ an 0-8-4?" Ward asked. "How is that possible?"

Raina smiled. "I don't know… I was just a baby when this happened."

Ward glared at her.

"We should find it…" Garrett nodded. "It could be a weapon. I'd rather it be in our hands than theirs."

"Where is it?" Ward asked.

"Well, I don't know where it is… but I know where it came from…" Raina answered leaning over the screen again. "A small village… in China."


	4. I’d Burn a Thousand Moons Just to Light a Single Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tension arises between Ward and Garrett. Secrets are revealed about Skye's past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: This chapter is probably the longest so far... hope that's okay! ;)

"Are you sure we can trust him?" Skye nodded toward Agent Triplett who was standing off to the side with Simmons.

Coulson followed her gaze before turning back to her with a nod. "Yes… he's not Hydra…"

"But he worked with Garrett…"

"We all did, Skye…" Coulson reminded her. "Simmons vouches for him… and I believe him when he says he didn't know about Garrett or Ward."

She crossed her arms in frustration.

"What?"

"It just feels like…" she started and stopped.

"It feels like what?" Coulson prodded.

"It feels like we're replacing… you know… _him_ …" she set her jaw. "Trading one specialist for another…"

Coulson shook his head. "I'm sorry you feel that way… but Skye…"

"No, I get it… we need someone like him…"

"That's not what I was going to say…" he cut her off.

Skye looked up at him with a frown.

"I was going to say…" he continued. "That Ward is gone… he's not the person that you used to know. He's not the guy that trained you in the mornings… he's changed… he switched sides… he betrayed us… and you're going to need to accept that…"

She bit her lip when she felt her eyes water and swallowed the tears that she refused to shed. "Fine."

"Hey…." Triplett called out to them. "Are we going? China's a long ways away…"

"Yeah… we're going…"

Coulson walked toward the duo with Skye trailing behind. She glanced at Simmons, who tried to smile.

"Fitz and May are already on board." Triplett told them. "May's about ready to go."

Coulson nodded. "Let's go to China…"

-

"What are the chances…" Garrett was saying while checking the guns in his hand. "Those morons would overlook an 0-8-4."

Ward was packing his own tactical gear. They'd arrived in China earlier that day and located the small village that Raina had sent them to. Ward numbly put on his vest and packed multiple guns on him. It felt weird to be carrying real guns now, with real bullets. Especially after months of using nothing but the night-night guns…. _I.C.E.R.S._ , he chuckled to himself.

"Something funny, son?" Garrett narrowed his eyes.

"No, sir." Ward set his face again and continued getting ready.

"Do you think Coulson and his rag tag team will be there?" Garrett asked suddenly.

Ward stiffened for a moment before hiding another gun behind his back. "I don't see why they would be… Raina said anyone who wasn't dead or on our side has gone underground. I don't think a trip to China is at the top of Coulson's to do list right now…"

Garrett watched him carefully. "No… probably not…"

Ward could feel his eyes on his back.

"But if they were to cross paths with us…" Garrett started. "Maybe not today, not tomorrow… but one day… what are you going to do?"

Ward felt a cold chill trail his entire body. He schooled his features and turned toward Garrett. "You taught me to neutralize the threat… that's what I'm going to do…"

Garrett let a slow smile spread on his face. "I'm glad to hear it, son."

Ward nodded and turned back around. "So are we doing this or what?"

-

Skye nodded and walked away with more confusion than she'd ever felt. Lucky for them, May was with them to translate. The 6 of them regrouped away from the villagers. Coulson folded his arms looking around.

"I don't get it." He said. "No one is talking… it's like they're scared of something…"

"Maybe they're scared of me…" Skye frowned. "Of what I can do… I did kill all those people…"

May shook her head. "No, that's not it… this fear is different…"

"Sir…" Simmons spoke up. "What if Hydra was the group that had been looking for Skye?"

"We figured that to be the case already…" Fitz shook his head. He turned toward Skye. "There's got to be something else… I'd ask you if you remembered anything…."

She narrowed her eyes. "Really?"

"What?" Fitz took a stop back. "I'm nervous… I ramble when I'm nervous…"

"Oh Fitz!" Simmons called out in frustration.

"Let's all just calm down…" Triplett broke up the tension as best he could. "Someone here is going to talk… they have to… we just have to find the oldest person here…" he was looking around him until his eyes landed on a woman sitting on a rocking chair. "Bingo."

Skye turned to follow his gaze and rolled her eyes. "You want us to interrogate grandma?"

"You got anymore bright ideas?" Triplett asked.

"It's worth a shot…" May shrugged.

"Why? Because he said so?" Skye was asking.

Fitz spoke over her. "If she can even remember what she had for dinner last night…"

"Fitz!" Simmons chastised him.

Coulson and May eyed each other knowingly before Coulson whistled. "That's enough!"

Their young team members quieted abruptly.

"We'll talk to her…" Coulson said. "But if she can't give us anything, then we move on… we'll find what we're looking for… whatever that is…"

The rest of the team followed him and May as they approached the older woman. She was sitting next to a much younger man who was washing tools in front of their humble shack.

"Excuse me…?" Coulson called out softly trying not to startle them. "Do you speak English?"

The young man nodded. "Yes."

"Okay… good…" Coulson nodded. "We have some questions for your… grandmother?"

The young man nodded. "Yes… what sort of questions…?"

"About me…" Skye jumped in. "I think I was born here…"

The young man eyed her with confusion. "I've lived here my whole life… I do not recognize you…"

"I was taken away from here when I was a baby…." Skye explained. "I was wondering if your grandmother knew anything about that day…"

The older woman stood up suddenly and walked toward them pointing at Skye.

Her grandson's eyes widened. He called out to her softly but watched as she stepped right in front of Skye to cup her face in her hands before saying some words in Mandarin.

Skye looked back at him. "What did she say?"

"She says, 'welcome home'." He translated.

-

Cheng and his grandmother, Dao-Ming welcomed them to their home. Triplett and Simmons sat on one side of the room while Coulson, Fitz and May sat on the other. Skye sat at Dao-Ming's feet. The older woman had been recounting the events of the day that Skye was taken away.

"She says that your parents were not from this village…." Cheng was translating. "They were travelers who were just passing through…. She'd met them, invited them into this home… your mother was in her final stages of pregnancy with you…"

Skye swallowed thickly. Finally, after all this time… she was starting to find out where she came from and who her parents were.

"The birth was not natural…" Cheng continued with a frown. He asked Dao-Ming to explain in hushed words. He frowned at what he heard. "Your mother passed while giving birth to you… I am sorry…"

Skye felt a tear trickle down her face. "No, it's okay… please keep going…"

The rest of the team listened silently passing uncomfortable glances around at one another.

"Your father fled shortly after…" Cheng finished. "My grandmother took care of you until those men arrived to take you away…"

"What men?" Skye sat up.

"Probably S.H.I.E.L.D.," Coulson interrupted. "They probably caught wind of your birth and came looking…"

Cheng was nodding trying to follow his grandmother's story. "But that's not the only men that came looking." Dao-Ming was stroking Skye's face as she spoke. "My grandmother wanted to keep you… protect you… but they took you… that's when that other team arrived and everyone was fighting with each other…"

"Hydra…" Fitz whispered to May causing her to roll her eyes.

"But you protected yourself…" Cheng finished.

Skye snapped her eyes toward him. "How? I was just a baby… a few days old…"

He shook his head. "I'm not sure… she doesn't know… But one minute they were all poised to shoot and the next, they were dead."

"Did I kill them?" Skye asked.

Cheng frowned. "I don't know…" he was shaking his head. "My grandmother is very old… she's probably confusing reality with her imagination…"

Skye sat back stunned. Coulson moved to the floor and placed a comforting arm around her. She sobbed into his chest whispering over and over again.

"I'm a freak… I'm a freak… I'm a freak…"

Coulson looked back at May and she stood to attention. "It's time to go."

Coulson lifted Skye up and sheltered her in his arms. He guided her toward the door. "Thank you for your time…"

"Wait…." Cheng called out.

Coulson, Skye and the rest of the team turned toward him and Dao-Ming. The older woman walked slowly and stood in front of Skye again. She lowered the younger woman's head toward her and kissed her forehead. Skye gave her a watery smile. Dao-Ming answered in Mandarin.

"She says that you have great power within you…" Cheng translated. "In the wrong hands, it can be used for evil… but don't ever doubt that there is good in you too… those powers can be used for good one day. Do not fear what you are… embrace what you can be."

Skye smiled softly before hugging the older woman and whispering, "Thank you."

She let Coulson and the rest of the team lead her away after that.

-

Skye sat numbly on the plane. The aircraft carrier that they were on was smaller than they were used to by now. It didn't have bunks. They were forced to sleep in sleeping bags next to each other when May flew the plane. Coulson would relieve her whenever she'd let him. He was sitting in the cockpit with her, ready to relieve her if she needed him to.

The rest of the team was sleeping after that day's events as she stared straight ahead with her legs tucked into her chest. She jumped slightly when she felt someone sit down next to her.

"Hey…." Triplett whispered. "It's just me…"

Skye eyed him warily. "What is it?"

"I just wanted to see how you were…" Triplett frowned. "What you heard today was… pretty heavy…"

"I'm fine." She answered.

"Alright…"

"How would you feel if you searched your entire life for answers… where do I come from… who are my parents… are they even alive… did they want me…" she ranted. "Only to find out that one of them died giving birth to you and the other ran as fast as he could… and oh yeah… I apparently have some latent super powers that can _kill_ people…."

Triplett whistled. "Yeah… I feel you…"

Skye tossed a glare in his direction.

"But at least you know more now than you did this morning…"

"I know that I killed my own mom and a team from both Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D." She frowned before cracking a smile. "Although, I can't say I'm too sad about those Hydra agents who were trying to kill me…"

He chuckled. "No, probably not."

She turned toward him. "What if I hurt you all?"

He shook his head. "You won't."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because you're a good person, Skye." Triplett answered. "And you love these people… Me, you're not too crazy about but I figure if I stand close enough to Coulson or Simmons, I should be alright."

Skye laughed softly trying not to wake Fitz and Simmons. "I don't hate you."

Triplett got serious. "I'm not here to replace him."

She turned toward him and smiled softly. "I know…"

"But if you want… I can pick up where he left off… I'm only Level 6 and I didn't know nearly as much as he did but I can… you know… train you… if you want that is…"

Skye smiled. "Thanks… but I'm not ready for that yet…"

Triplett nodded in understanding. "When you are… the offer is on the table."

"Thank you."

"I'm going back to sleep…" he said with a smile. "You should get some rest too."

Skye nodded. "I will."

She watched Triplett slip back into his sleeping bag next Simmons. It wasn't long before she was asleep too.

Neither one of them noticed that one of their sleeping team members was awake and listening to their conversation as she faked closed eyes and tossed around in her sleeping bag.

-

"Is this it?" Garrett asked.

Ward looked down at a map and nodded. "These are the coordinates Raina gave me…"

"Let's ask around then…" Garrett said walking further into the village. "Don't you speak Mandarin?"

"A little bit…" Ward nodded.

"Good…" Garrett smiled. "Because I'm not expecting to find anyone who speaks English in this place."

After a couple of hours of trying to get information from anyone, they both realized that no one was going to be talking to them.

"I feel like putting a bullet in each and every one of them for wasting my time." Garrett muttered.

"I'm not really in the mood to clean up today…" Ward answered. "Let's go… there's nothing here."

They turned around to leave when Ward's eyes landed on a younger man standing in front of a shack beating on an old rug. Ward jogged over to him, starting the man.

"Excuse me…" he started in Mandarin.

"I speak English…" the young man muttered. "You damn Americans always assume that no one else does."

"Damn Americans?" Garrett caught the end of his statement. "What Americans?"

Cheng glanced between the two of them. "I meant… in general…"

Garrett gave him a menacing smile before stepping into her personal space. "See, I don't think you did…"

Garrett pulled out a gun and held it Cheng's head.

"Garrett…" Ward warned starting to see a crowd form around them.

"You're going to tell my friend here what you meant by 'you damn Americans'… in English, please…" Garrett said through clenched teeth.

Cheng panicked and told them about the group that had been there earlier.

"How many of them?" Garrett asked.

"S… Si… Six…" Cheng stuttered.

Garrett let him go and snorted before turning to Ward. "Coulson… and it looks like they've got Trip to replace you…"

Ward narrowed his eyes as Garrett positioned the gun at Cheng again.

"Hey…" Ward said. "What are you doing?"

"He's kind of a whistle blower…" Garrett shrugged cocking the gun. "Can't have him running his mouth to someone else, can we?"

Ward stepped in front of Cheng and lifted his own gun. "That's not what we came here to do, Garrett. Remember the mission… to find the 0-8-4 and get out."

Garrett laughed and shook his head, lowering his gun. "Coulson smoothed out a lot of your rough edges, didn't he kid?"

Ward lowered his own gun. "Let's go."

He turned around to leave but was blocked by an old woman who was suddenly standing next to Cheng. She lifted her hands and placed one on his heart as the other cupped his face.

_"寻找回来的路。找到回家的路。这还不算太晚。"_

His eyes widened as she smiled softly stroking his cheek.

"What the hell is she saying?" Garrett asked Cheng.

"I… I'm not sure…" Cheng answered shaking his head. "My grandmother suffers from dementia…. She says things sometimes that make no sense… not even to me…"

Garrett looked between her and Ward who was now frozen in her arms. Garrett pulled him back making Ward follow him out of the village.

-

Ward nursed the drink in front of him with a frown.

_"If we make it out of this… maybe we can… grab a drink… you and me…"_

He ran a finger up and down the side of the glass, feeling the condensation wet his fingers.

"What's on your mind, kid?" Garrett walked up behind him with a smile

"You almost killed that man today." Ward glanced up. "That's not what you brought me on board for."

Garrett's smile froze. "Like you're so innocent… didn't you just kill an innocent man a couple days ago…"

"I thought…"

"You thought he was the Clairvoyant."

Ward stood in anger. "And who is the Clairvoyant, huh Garrett?"

Garrett stepped back and shook his head with a chuckle. "Is that what this is all about? _Her_?"

"You lied to me." Ward growled. "I told you she was off limits."

"Whoa… Grant…" Garrett said holding up his hands. "It was nothing personal… I didn't know how much she meant to you at the time… I even helped you save her, remember? We gave up the drug to save her!"

Ward was seething. He took a step back. "She's just off limits."

"I got that." Garrett nodded.

Ward nodded before picking up the glass he'd been nursing and gulping down the rest of the amber liquid inside.

"I asked you if we crossed paths with Coulson's team, what you would do…" Garrett reminded him. "You said you would…"

"Neutralize the threat." Ward finished. "I got it."

"Does that include her?"

"Garrett…" Ward warned.

"Fine…." Garrett nodded with a shrug. "Off limits."

"I'm going to bed."

Ward turned to leave the room.

"Hey Grant…" Garrett called out to him. "What did that old woman say to you today?"

"I didn't understand her…" Ward turned and shrugged. "She probably had me confused with someone else."

Garret nodded with a tight smile. "Don't sleep in… we're out of here before the sun rises."

Ward nodded in understanding with a yawn and left the room.

Garrett narrowed his eyes as he watched him walk away. He took out his phone and dialed a number he had memorized. "Raina… get me everything you have on Skye… search that hard drive we got from Coulson. Report back to me with anything interesting you find."

He disconnected the line and tossed the phone aside. "What is so goddamn special about that orphan."

 

 

 

**Translation:** _Find your way back. Find your way home. It's not too late._


	5. Sleeping with the Ghost of You & Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ward and Skye are both having trouble sleeping for similar reasons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: Not sure if anyone's noticed... but every chapter's title is from a song that inspired that particular chapter... Well, except for the first chapter because that title is pretty self explanatory, right? I know you guys probably figured it out but in case anyone was curious as to where those titles came from: Chapter 2 is from Phillip Phillips "Home", Chapter 3 is Imagine Dragons "Demons" and Chapter 4 is from All Good Things "Invincible". This chapter's title is a bit of a throwback. It's BBMak "Ghost of You and Me". It's such a great song though. And I went through a boyband phase 15 years ago when I was in high school. And I just gave away my age... elementary school. 15 years ago was in elementary school. Damn it. Okay... never mind lol! I'll continue this trend til the end of the story. I've got some other titles up my sleeve. They'll all have something to do with that particular chapter. Also, I've heard a lot of speculation that fans are expecting for Ward to hook up with Raina. I don't think that's going to happen in the coming episodes but the more I thought about and the more I discussed it with a friend, the more the idea appealed to me. Sort of. A friend of mine posed the question, "what if Ward and Raina had a "thing" before he got on Coulson's team and met Skye? And I thought that was brilliant so here it is. It's a part of my story. I like the idea of Raina being jealous of Skye instead of May even though she knows that Ward was sleeping with May. I also like how cold she is. And how frigid he himself is toward her. No, I will not be writing Raina/Ward smut. So do not worry. But I do like making her a little nutty. She's brainwashed for crying out loud! She's not exactly all there mentally, right? And oh yeah... there's also another cliff hanger in this one. That's just how I roll. =}

"What's wrong with him?"

Garrett looked up from the papers scattered on the table in front of him and turned his head toward a back room that Raina was glancing toward. Ward had barricaded himself in there the moment they'd returned from China and he hadn't come out yet.

"He's just a little mad at me…" Garrett chuckled with a shrug. "I think it's about having that rookie of his shot or something."

"He really started to care for her…" Raina frowned.

Garrett looked up at her. "Jealous?"

"Not at all…" Raina shook her head. "Concerned… can we trust him still?"

"Ward?" Garrett nodded still completely focused on the papers Raina set aside for him to look over. "He's as loyal to me today as he was the day he stepped on that plane."

"Are you sure about that?"

Garrett looked up with a smile. "Positive."

-

The nightmares hadn't stopped. He'd been having them for weeks but they were getting stronger.

Darker.

He kept replaying the moment she was shot in his head. Usually, in his nightmares, it was Ian Quinn pulling the trigger. That bastard was lucky that he hadn't killed him in his sleep yet. Sometimes though, it was Garrett that shot her. And he would laugh when he did it. But what really scared him were the times he dreamed that it was him. And it might as well have been.

He'd told May that he didn't blame himself. At the time, he blamed Coulson for putting her in a position to get hurt. Then when he found out from Coulson a few nights ago that Garrett was The Clairvoyant, he found himself blaming his mentor. But the truth was that he should have blamed himself all along. It was his fault that she got hurt. It's always been his fault. He promised to protect her. He should have done a better job.

A knock on the door made him sit up in bed. He watched the door open slowly and Raina walk in. She closed it softly behind her.

"What is it?"

She sauntered toward the bed and crawled on top of him, kissing his jaw. "I was thinking of you…"

"Raina…" he warned pulling away from her.

"I know it's been a while but did you forget already?"

"You weren't exactly very welcoming when I got back…" he narrowed his eyes.

"If I had been you'd have been suspicious of me…" she smirked trailing a hand down his chest.

Ward firmly grabbed her hand and pushed her away. "Not now. I'm tired." He got out of the bed and rubbed his face.

"You're thinking about _her_ aren't you?"

"You know I only slept with May because she posed the biggest threat…" he was saying.

She cut him off. "I wasn't talking about Melinda May."

He turned back toward her and glared. "Leave _her_ out of this."

"So it's true then?" Raina asked. "You went and fell in love with her… rookie mistake, Agent Ward."

"Don't call me that."

"Why?" she asked with a pout. "Isn't that your title?"

"Not anymore…" he muttered looking away.

"Too bad…" she smiled seductively. "It was my favorite thing about you…" she got on her knees and started unbuttoning the front of her dress on the bed. "Final offer…"

"I'm leaving…" he warned. "And when I get back, you better not be here."

He walked out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

"Trouble in paradise?" a taunting voice called out.

Ward walked up to Garrett who was sitting in a chair drinking from a mug with a S.H.I.E.L.D. logo on it. It was almost like he was mocking the entire fact that they'd betrayed everyone.

"Does she really have to be here?"

"I told you all those years ago… don't get involved in any mission…" Garrett shook his head taking a sip from the mug. "Didn't I warn you? Don't mix work with pleasure?"

"Fine." Ward answered. "Do we really need her though?"

"Raina is an asset to our team, Grant…" Garrett answered. "So I need you to put on your big boy pants and get over it… or take them off and get on with it… whatever."

Ward narrowed his eyes. "What are we doing, Garrett?"

"I'm not sure I know what you mean…"

"We used to have purpose…" Ward continued. "We used to actually have a reason to do what it is that we do… but ever since you started the Centipede program, I'm having a hard time seeing what the purpose of all this is…"

"Purpose?" Garrett asked standing up. "You want a purpose?" He stood in front of Ward. "The purpose of all this is to be prepared next time. Before another attack like the one in New York takes place, I want to neutralize that threat. It's us or them, kid… you chose a side… now play nice…"

Ward shook his head. "I'm going for a walk. Get her out of my room by the time I get back."

"If you'd prefer someone else to be waiting in your bed, I can arrange that for you…"

Ward stopped.

"Perhaps someone a little more petite, long brown hair with golden streaks that light up in the sun…" Garrett mocked. "Is that more of your speed these days?"

Ward turned around. "Leave her out of this."

"I must say, Grant…" Garrett continued. "You're very protective of her… is that going to cause a problem down the line?"

Ward crossed his arms in defiance. "No, sir."

"Good." Garrett nodded with a smile. "I'll rein Raina in… you go get that fresh air…"

-

She opened her eyes suddenly. She'd been having the same dream a lot lately. It was always them inside that janitor's closet. The scene of their first and only kiss. She'd been trying to remember what he'd told her that day, in that moment. He'd talked about protecting her and asked her out for a drink. But he'd been sad. He'd even sounded worried. In her dreams, things ended differently. He'd come back and they'd run away from the fight. Not that she or even he would ever do that. They were soldiers… fighters. But in her dreams, apparently she would have been glad to give up everything if it meant she could still have him.

She sat up with a sigh.

Coulson had booked them all in a cheap motel. She looked over her shoulder to see him snoring softly in the other bed. Fitz and Simmons, despite hardly talking to one another these days, had bunked together. And Coulson had put May in a room with Triplett. Skye overheard Coulson tell their new team member to keep an eye on her. She frowned knowing that Coulson now trusted a stranger more than he trusted May.

She stepped out of bed and walked over to the bathroom. She stepped inside and closed the door before turning on the light so she wouldn't wake him. She was pretty sure he hadn't actually slept in days. It looked like she hadn't either. She had dark rings under her eyes. Her skin had gotten paler. She looked fatigued.

She still didn't feel safe.

She almost expected _them_ to burst through that door and threaten to kill her or one of her team mates... Her family... Skye wondered if it ever came down to it, just how far she would go to protect them. But he'd been her family once too. He was as much her family as Fitz, Simmons, Coulson and even May were. She'd do anything to protect them. But she'd do anything to _save_ him. If only he'd let her.

Placing her hands on the sink she leaned closer to the mirror.

Taking a deep breath she whispered, "You've got to let him go, Skye…"

It wasn't that simple. She almost wished it was. She wanted to hate him. More than anything she wanted to feel rage. But she didn't. She'd even hoped for indifference. But that's not what she felt either. What was it? Disappointment? Sadness? Used? Coulson had told them all that he should have known. Raina knew things about him that he'd recently told Ward. He should have realized how she'd found out but back then they thought they were dealing with something supernatural. A real clairvoyant… Not a physical person with a man on the inside. Coulson hadn't expected one of his oldest friends to have turned on him and the organization they'd sworn to defend. And she hadn't expected that the man who'd taught her to protect herself would be someone she would need protection from one day.

She sighed and turned off the light before opening the door and stepping back into the room. She quietly got back in bed and settled in as comfortably as she could. But the sheets were cold. They'd probably always be cold from now on. She closed her eyes and let out another sigh. She braced herself for the nightmares that would undoubtedly come and the rest of the sleepless night she had ahead.

-

When he returned everyone was asleep. He hadn't expected that he'd be out for so long but he'd walked further than he thought he would. He'd even wondered if his subconscious had taken over and he was physically trying to walk back to her.

_Find your way back. Find your way home. It's not too late._

Garrett had hounded him for a translation. He was glad that Garrett hadn't cared enough to keep asking though and that he cared even less to actually look it up himself. Those words had hit him like a bucket of cold water. That old lady was wrong though. She didn't know what he'd done. There was no way back for him. He could only move forward. There was no place for him back there with them. They'd never welcome him home. Not after all that he'd done. He'd killed four people in two days in cold blood. Three of those people were friends of theirs. He knew that.

Fitz wouldn't slap his back in a playful way ever again. Simmons would never be beating him at Scrabble again and as much as it annoyed him; he secretly loved that she could. Coulson wouldn't want to talk about the cellist to him, even though he liked hearing that story. Not because he used that intel to report to Garrett but because he genuinely liked how happy Coulson was telling it. He'd never spar with May again. He'd learned a lot from The Calvary the last few months. But what hurt the most was that she'd never look at him the same way again. He'd never get to have that drink with her. They'd never get to have their much needed talk. What would he have told her anyway? The truth? Maybe he would have. It was burning him inside and he needed to get it out. She was the only person he could have truly trusted with that secret. Especially if he'd promised to turn around and put his loyalties in something else… or in someone else. Had he already? He and Garrett hadn't exactly been seeing eye to eye lately. Had his loyalties changed without him realizing. He knew he didn't stand for S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore than he stood for Hydra at the moment. The only thing he cared about was her… protecting her… she was his mission now.

He heard hushed voices and walked over to the wall leaning around the corner to find Raina and Garrett talking.

"You said to tell you when I found something interesting…"

"What did you find?" Garrett asked.

"You went to China looking for an object of unknown origin…" Raina continued. "Could an 0-8-4 be a person?"

"I… I'm not sure…" Garrett shook his head. "Maybe… I've never heard of something like that though…"

"Because the 0-8-4 that S.H.I.E.L.D. lost track of…" Raina lifted the hard drive Ward had gotten from Skye. "Was a baby… who was put into the foster system… by a deceased Agent Avery. Hydra assassinated her twenty-four years ago."

"So… what you're saying is…"

"Apparently, that girl you asked me to look into…" Raina smiled. "She's the one you've been looking for… now you've got more reason to get her. The GH-325 and the fact that she's an 0-8-4."

Garrett smiled slowly. "That explains why the GH-325 didn't affect her like it did Coulson… Skye's not from this earth."

Raina smiled. "I think your mission has officially changed, Agent Garrett."

Garrett nodded with a grin. "Guess we're going to have to cross paths with Coulson and his team after all…"

Ward's eyes widened. Skye was an 0-8-4? Did she know? Did Coulson? What did that mean exactly?

"What about _him_?" Raina asked.

Ward hid further against the wall.

"He's not going to let you just take her and torture her for answers…" Raina said crossing her arms.

"Oh… he won't have a say…. He'll fall in line… Just like he always does." Garrett said with a smile. "Hail Hydra."

Raina smiled slowly. "Hail Hydra."

Ward stepped back before they found him listening. He snuck into his room and closed the door quietly. Skye was an 0-8-4. Garrett was looking for Skye. He paced the room. Skye was in danger.

He lunged for his bag on the floor and started throwing anything that would fit in it. He'd warn them. He'd find them and warn her about what Garrett knew.

He stopped. What if Garrett found her before he could get to them though?

Sitting on his bed, he made another decision that would send him in another downward spiral. He'd have to stay onboard and pretend to help Garrett find her. He'd have to stay two steps ahead of Garrett the entire time.

Ward frowned. She'd never forgive him if she believed that he was helping Garrett hunt her down. But if it meant that it would keep her safe, then he'd do it. And he wouldn't regret it.


	6. This House No Longer Feels Like Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything has led up to this...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: This is a VERY important chapter... probably not at all what you were expecting... but it was always leading up to this. Hopefully, it'll live up to all of your expectations. The story isn't over yet. There are 10 chapters mapped out and an epilogue that will lead into this story's sequel... which I am still working on... So stay tuned for that. As always, I live for your comments about the story... so if you liked it, let me know... if you hated it, let me know... I love knowing what you think and how I can improve. Because there's always room for improvement, right? Anyways... here it is... :)

"I've found them."

Ward looked up from the rifle he was cleaning. "Hmm?"

Garrett gave him a menacing grin. "Your old teammates, son… Raina and I found them."

"Where?"

"They're at one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s safe houses." Garrett shrugged. "It's mighty stupid for Coulson to have gone to one of them, if you ask me. He had to know they're not exactly safe anymore, right?"

"What if it's a trap?" Raina asked.

"Coulson is too busy hiding to come up with any effective plans right now." Garrett shook his head. "No, he stopped for something…" Garrett turned to Ward. "Or someone…"

"Where is it?" Ward asked.

"The safe house?"

Ward nodded.

"Portland." Garrett said before turning to Raina with a grin. "The Cellist."

"We going after her?" Ward asked.

"It's a good idea to have some kind of leverage, don't you think?"

Raina nodded enthusiastically. "I agree!"

"Then I guess we're going to Portland."

-

"Why exactly are we here?" Fitz asked to no one in particular.

"I need to find someone…" Coulson answered anyway.

"Are we looking for her?" May asked. "The Cellist?"

"I just need to make sure that she's safe." Coulson nodded. "With everything that's going on…"

May shook her head. "I understand… we have to keep the ones we love safe."

He nodded with a slight smile. "Thank you… I won't be long…"

"AC…" Skye called out. "You think this is a good idea? I mean… she thinks you died…"

Coulson shrugged. "It's a different world that we're living in… I'm sure once I explain everything, she'll understand."

-

To say that she didn't take his resurrection well would be the understatement of the century.

After screaming for a few minutes, Audrey finally passed out from exhaustion. It probably helped that Skye knocked her out though.

That's how they'd ended up at the safe house where they were currently hiding. Fitz had been able to disable the alarm but he wasn't sure it was quick enough for anyone to not notice that they were there.

Skye sat at the counter rapidly typing on her laptop. Fitz was currently searching the small apartment for any snacks that weren't expired yet. Simmons sat enjoying her first cup of tea in days. Triplett and May stood watch; one of them was positioned near a window and the other by the front door.

Coulson and been sitting on a small coffee table, anxiously watching Audrey as she slept. When she began to stir, he sat up straighter. He watched her eyes as they opened slowly before widening until she sat up on the couch quickly and in shock. "Phil?"

"Hi…" he smiled sheepishly.

"Am I dreaming?" she asked. "Am I dead?"

"No…" he shook his head. "Neither actually… it's me…"

"But you're alive…" she stated. "How is this possible?"

"It's a very long story…" he said with a forced smile. "One that I don't have all the answers to yet… I'm sorry… but it is me…"

"What's going on?" she asked looking around her at the other people in the room. "Who are these people?"

"This is my team." He said with a smile. "We're here to protect you."

"Protect me?" she snapped her neck toward him. "From what?"

"Hydra…"

"Those Nazi wannabes that are trying to take over?" she asked.

He nodded. "I work for S.H.I.E.L.D." he looked around the room. "Worked… for S.H.I.E.L.D."

"You…?"

He nodded. "I died before the battle of New York."

"But you just said you were alive…"

"I was brought back to life by a friend…" he finally answered. "Like I said… I don't have all the answers but I just want to make sure that you are safe."

"Coulson…" Skye looked up. "We need to do this fast… I've just got to take her photo and I can print the new passports and IDs."

"What?" Audrey glanced back at the young woman at the computer. "What is she talking about, Phil?"

"Hydra is after me… after us…" he nodded toward the other people in the room. "And they'll get to me anyway they know how… including by getting you…"

Her eyes widened.

"Skye is an expert at deleting people and creating new identities for them…" Phil nodded toward the young hacker. "She's creating one for you now… we're going to put you on a train and you're going to cross the border into Canada. After that… you can go anywhere you want."

"Phil?"

"Audrey… I am trying to protect you." He took a deep breath. "I need to know that you will be okay."

She nodded. "Can I ever see you again?"

He let a slow smile spread on his face. "Maybe one day… but right now, we have to stay away from each other… it's the only way to keep you safe."

She rubbed her face. "You came all the way back here to make sure I'd be safe?"

"Yes." He nodded.

"Okay."

His eyes widened.

"Okay…." She nodded once. "I'll do it. I'll disappear."

"You can never contact anyone you've ever known again… not your parents… family… friends… no one…" he warned her.

"Will they be safe?"

"As long as Hydra believes you're dead, they'd have no reason to come after them." Skye answered. "I'm…. killing you… essentially." She scrunched her face. "Sorry…"

Audrey smiled softly. "I understand. I'll do whatever it takes to keep them safe."

"I want you to keep youself safe…" Coulson said taking her hands in his. "Let me do the rest."

She nodded touching her forehead to his. "I never thought I'd see you again… and now that I have… you're slipping through my fingers… again…"

"At least we'll both be alive."

She smiled softly. "Yes… at least…"

"Okay…" Skye hopped off the counter and picked up a small camera that she had next to her laptop. "You ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be…" Audrey stood and turned toward Coulson. "Are you sure that you can't come with me?"

He shook his head. "I have to finish this…"

"Come find me when this is all over…" she said with a smile and leaned in to kiss his cheek.

He smiled. "I will."

-

Coulson and May had taken Audrey to the train station. The rest of them had stayed behind waiting for them to return. Skye was still sitting at her laptop quietly working.

"What are you doing over there, girl?" Triplett finally asked.

"Making sure there aren't any Hydra agents in the area." She muttered.

"Probably a good idea…" he shrugged.

She looked up and smiled before looking at her computer screen again.

Simmons paced the floor of the small apartment frantically. "They should have returned by now…"

"Coulson probably wanted some extra time to…" Fitz answered absentmindedly. He looked up when he felt everyone's eyes on him. "Well, don't tell me you lot weren't thinkin' it."

"Fitz…." Simmons said shaking her head.

The door opening caused everyone to stand on alert. They all sighed in relief when they found Coulson and May walking through the door.

"Thank God…" Skye breathed. "Simmons was really starting to worry."

"Like I was the only one…" Simmons mumbled with an eye roll.

Coulson smiled fondly at the young biochemist before looking up at them. "She's safe. She's on a train heading to-"

Skye's laptop started beeping. She turned toward the screen and cursed.

"What is it?"

Skye looked up at Coulson and frowned. "It's him…"

"You've been monitoring him?" May asked.

"Just a few aliases to see if anything came up…" Skye answered. "I've been running face recognition… using some of the satellites that were still up and running…"

"Where is he?" Coulson asked.

"In Portland. Nearby… Coulson… he was a couple blocks from Audrey's apartment. They were probably looking for her." She said. "We need to go."

"No."

They all turned to him.

"Coulson…" May said through clenched teeth. "We're not fully armed. We can't take them on… not with the little that we have."

"We're not going to take them on…" Coulson answered her. "I'm staying… the rest of you are leaving. Now…"

They all started to protest.

"It's not up for debate." He continued. "I will hold them off while you both get Skye and Fitzsimmons to a safer place."

"Coulson…." Skye started.

"They're here for you, Skye…" Coulson shook his head. "Garrett has always wanted you for whatever reason. Maybe he knows that you're an 0-8-4… either way… our number one priority is to keep you safe."

"But…" she started to protest again.

"No… you're leaving. That's the end of it."

She nodded and started packing up her things quickly. Fitz and Simmons followed her lead and started getting their things together while Triplett helped.

"May…" Coulson turned toward. "I need you to make sure that she is safe… no matter what it takes… Please promise me that-"

"No…"

"What?" he asked.

"I'm staying…"

"May…"

"Coulson…. Triplett can get them out. I am staying with you…" May said. "I told you once that I had your back… and I meant it."

He smiled softly. "Okay…"

They turned toward the rest of the team.

"You're not coming?" Skye asked.

May shook her head. "I'll stay behind and help Coulson hold them off."

Simmons hugged Coulson tightly. "Please be careful…" she whispered before letting go.

Fitz pat his back and Triplett shook his hand.

"I'll see you on the other side, sir…" he told the senior agent.

Skye walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Stay safe…" She turned toward May and gave her a bone crushing hug as well. "Take care of him…" she whispered to the older woman.

May hugged her back. "We'll see you soon…"

Skye took a step back and let Triplett lead them out of the apartment. He handed her a gun in the hallway. "You know how to use one of these?"

She nodded. "Yeah… I had a good teacher."

-

They slowly walked down the dark corridor.

"I'm not sure why we didn't bring any back up…" Garrett was mumbling. "We could use the extra help to take out Coulson's team."

"I can take Triplett and May…" Ward shook his head. "We didn't need anyone else. They would have seen us coming."

Garrett nodded. "You're right."

"Is this the safe house?" Ward whispered.

Garrett held a finger to his lips and nodded. He counted to three silently and signaled Ward to kick down the door. Ward was the first one in the room and was knocked down instantly. He turned over on his back to see May standing over him.

"The Calvary…" he smiled slowly. "Been waiting for this."

"I know the feeling." She lifted her foot to smash it down on his chest but he rolled over and jumped on his feet.

Garrett and Coulson were already fighting inside the apartment. Ward watched both his mentors attacking each other and flinched. He almost missed the swift punch that May threw at him but he deflected and was able to throw her against the wall. He tried to kick her but she moved out of his way before his foot could land on his target.

"I beat you once, May…" he said. "Or did you forget."

"You're not holding that staff anymore…" she was smiling. "And I have no problem kicking your ass."

He laughed shaking his head. "You haven't changed…"

"And you're still a talker."

They circled one another. Ward tried to keep an eye on Coulson and Garrett but in doing so, he missed May punching him. He was taken aback by the force of her hit. He tasted the blood on his split lip before he could react. But he was still able to wrap his arms around her in a stronghold.

"Stop… fighting me…" he whispered to her.

"Never…" she spat out.

He looked over head to find Garrett had knocked Coulson down. Garrett was picking up a nearby gun.

"Sorry, May…" he muttered before hitting his head against hers hard enough to knock her out. He turned toward Coulson and Garrett. Ward slammed himself into Garrett knocking the gun out of his hand. Coulson watched the two of them scuffle on the ground. He looked around and found the gun, kicking it toward Ward, who picked it up and pointed it right at Garrett.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, kid?"

Ward's hand trembled as he held the gun, pointing it at Garrett's head. "What I should have done a long time ago…"

Garrett stood up slowly. "So that's it then… you're choosing a side to stand on…?"

"I'm not on any side, Garrett…" Ward held the gun tighter. "But you threatened my family… you threatened… her…"

"So it is about that alien bitch then?" Garrett laughed. "Ward, I get it…. You're sweet on her… fine… we'll get what we need and you can have what's left of her."

Ward was shaking his head. "You won't go anywhere near her."

Garrett laughed. "Are you just going to shoot me, kid?"

Ward cocked the gun in his hand, his finger twitching on the trigger.

"So you choose them? Is that it?" Garrett asked.

"I choose her." Ward answered.

"Then get on with it… do it…" Garrett said making Ward take a step back. Garrett screamed. "DO IT!"

He lunged for Ward but an ear shattering gunshot stopped him in his tracks. Coulson watched as his old friend fell to his knees with a fatal gunshot to his gut. Garrett fell back, spitting up blood. Ward stood over his body and pointed the gun at him. Garrett's glassy eyes stared back at him in shock as he whispered, "hail Hydra…"

Ward shot him in the head. The glassy eyes were not vacant and staring back at him.

Coulson slowly stood and walked over to the younger man. He touched Ward's hand and took the gun from his lifeless fingers. Ward fell to the ground.

Coulson wrapped his arms around him pulling the younger man close. "It's okay…"

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" Ward mumbled over and over again choking on his words.

Coulson rubbed his back. "It's okay… I forgive you… It's okay…"

The younger man sobbed in his arms. Tears pricked Coulson's eyes.

"Shh…" he soothed. "It's okay…"

Ward held on tightly to the older man and cried. He didn't want to let go of the only true father figure he'd ever known. He cried for the man that he'd just killed who at one point had treated him like a son. He cried for the childhood he'd lost and the life he'd given up. He cried because even though it was over and Garrett was gone, he knew that he still couldn't stay. He was in more danger now. Hydra would want revenge now that he's killed one of their high ranking leaders. But most of all, he cried because he'd turned his back on the only home he'd ever known. And now it was too late to go back. He'd never see any of them again. To keep them safe, he would have to stay away.


	7. How the Hell Did We Wind Up Like This

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: I SUCK! I officially am the worst fanfic writer EVER! I promised that this story would get attention and it did and this chapter has kind of been sitting there... I didn't know if to re-write the whole damn thing and just end it or if I wanted to continue with my original idea or if I wanted to re-work it to take it in a new direction. I've decided to do both... Take it in a bit of a new direction while still continuing in the same vein of mystery... this might be a little longer than expected but now I'm determined to finish it. Plus it'll be nice to have my own little AU world while the show is breaking my freaking heart every week starting Sep. 23rd! Stick with me guys... please don't give up on me. I just hope you guys are still here...

Coulson and May pulled up to the motel and parked the car.

"What are you going to tell them?" she asked before turning off the car.

"The truth."

"The whole truth?" she asked.

"What is the whole truth at this point?" Coulson responded. He opened the door to the car and stepped outside, walking toward the pool area. He found Skye sitting on a chair with Fitz, Simmons and Triplett hanging out behind her.

She looked up. Her eyes widened and she stood rushing toward him, wrapping her arms around him. "Oh thank God!"

He closed his arms around her just as tightly. "I'm glad to see you too."

Pulling back, she looked over his shoulder to find May standing behind him. "What the hell happened? Did you find Ward and Garrett?"

"Garrett is dead," Coulson answered.

"And Ward?" she asked slowly.

Coulson looked over his shoulder at May who nodded. He turned back to with a frown. "Ward killed him…." He answered. "He saved my life."

She took a step back from him. "Ward saved you?" she bit her lip. "What does that mean? Where is he?"

"He's gone."

"Gone?" she asked.

"He disappeared."

_"I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"_

_"It's okay… I forgive you… It's okay… Shh… it's okay…"_

_"You don't understand," Ward looked up with a frown. "It was my mission."_

_"Who gave you this mission?" Coulson asked. "Garrett?"_

_Ward shook his head. "I can't tell you."_

_"Grant…" Coulson tried. "You have to tell me the truth. Why did you do it?"_

_"It was my mission," Ward answered. "I've been deep undercover for years, Coulson."_

_"For who, Grant?"_

_"I'm sorry…" Ward answered. "I'm sorry you got hurt… that everything is so screwed up… but someday… someday, you'll understand."_

_"Ward…"_

_"I have to go," Ward shook his head._

_"You're just going to leave?" Coulson asked his retreating figure."What am I supposed to tell her?"_

_Ward stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Tell her I did it all for her."_

"What the hell does that mean?" Skye asked. "That he just disappeared?"

"He knows what he's done," May walked up to her. "He knows that he would have to pay for his crimes…."

"Yeah…" Skye said. "He has to pay for his crimes. How could you just let him go?" She sat down in the chair she'd been sitting at and put her head in her hands. "Garrett is really dead?"

Coulson nodded.

"Good," She muttered.

"Skye…"

"Am I safe?" she cut Coulson off.

"We'd never let anything happen to you," he answered. "I'd never let anything happen to you…"

"That doesn't exactly answer my question, does it?"

"You're safe with us," May answered.

Skye nodded and stood up. "I'm going to sleep. Wake me when we have to leave."

Coulson and May watched her as she walked down the hall toward one of the rooms they'd booked. Fitz, Simmons and Triplett watched the entire exchange from afar. The trio looked to Coulson and May for answers but the older pair ignored them and went to their own rooms for the night.

"What was that about?" Triplett asked.

"I don't know…" Jemma said.

"I suppose it had something to do with Ward," Fitz answered.

"Maybe he's dead," Triplett shrugged.

Fitz glared at him. "Despite what's happened, he was our friend. And Skye loved him. If he's dead… we're going to have to be there for her…. She's going to need us to-"

"Fitz…" Simmons tried.

He shrugged off her hand and shook his head. "Ward was our friend. He's saved us all countless times."

She frowned but didn't respond.

"I'm going to bed, Jemma. Are you staying?"

"Just for a little while longer," she looked back at Triplett who smiled softly.

Fitz scoffed before standing and stalking off toward his room.

-

He stared at the burner phone in his hand with narrowed eyes. It would only be a matter of time before news of Garrett's death would reach him. He'd wait all night if he had to. Garrett was dead. His mission was complete. He wanted to go home. But where was home?

The ringing disrupted his thoughts. He answered the phone and lifted it to his ear slowly. "I'm done."

"No, you are not, Agent Ward," The harsh voice said on the other line. "Far from it in fact… your mission is still active."

"You lied to me."

"I didn't lie."

"You didn't give me all the information."

"I gave you what was need to know…"

"Skye being the 0-8-4 I was sent to find and protect?" he asked. "That wasn't need to know?"

The voice sighed. "I didn't know that. But thank you for reporting it. I had no idea Coulson was keeping secrets from me."

"With all due respect, sir. You deserve it for keeping so many secrets from _him_."

"Touché," the voice chuckled.

"What the hell do you still need me for?" Ward asked.

"Do you think this is over?" the anger on the line could be felt despite the miles between them. "Do you think Garrett was the only one? He was your _in_ , Grant… your foot in the door of the organization… you need to take his place."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then you'll be a fugitive on the run from two organizations…. Not just one…"

"You son of a bitch," Ward muttered.

"Yeah, I get that a lot… listen… I can only protect you so much, kid…. You're on your own after tonight… if you decide not to do this… I can't do anything else for you… but if you stay on… I can make sure it's all worth it in the end. That it wasn't all in vain."

"I've been doing this for years…"

"Exactly… you've come this far…"

"I want to see it through to the end," Ward answered defiantly. "I want to make sure she's safe."

"Garrett was only interested in her after he found out she was an 0-8-4… did he tell anyone else?"

"Damn it," Ward responded, leaning forward rubbing his face. "Raina… he told Raina… they were sleeping together."

"You have to take her out."

"She's not going to be happy with me. I did kill her boyfriend," Ward frowned.

"She doesn't need to know it was you. I can make it look like it was S.H.I.E.L.D. Where's the body now?"

"Safe house in Portland."

"And where are you?"

"Safe house in Portland."

"You went back? Damn… you really are a sick and twisted-"

Ward glanced up at the body on the floor. "I've been staring at that son of a bitch… just biding my time before I burn this entire place to the ground."

"I'll send a team."

Ward laughed. "What team? You don't have a team. Not anymore. As far as anyone is concerned… you're as _dead_ as Garrett."

"I still have resources. I'll use them. But you can't be there when they arrive. They will take you in."

"Understood."

"So get the hell out of there, Grant… Go back to Raina and tell her S.H.I.E.L.D. attacked you and that you barely got out alive. Make it look believable."

"Yes, sir."

"And Grant?"

He waited quietly.

"We'll keep in touch."

-

She tossed and turned on the bed. She couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she could see his face. He was standing in front of her holding a gun, pulling the trigger, laughing. The nightmares hadn't changed much. Sometimes it was Quinn, others Garrett but a lot of times it was him. She sat up in bed and looked at the clock on the night stand next to her. It was a quarter past five. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her covers and putting on the sandals she kept by her bed that she'd just purchased down the street from the motel in a convenience store.

She stepped outside and walked toward the pool area to find a familiar figure lounging by the pool eating a bag of chips. "Couldn't sleep either, huh?"

He looked back with a smile. "I get hungry in the middle of the night."

"And go straight for the junk food, it seems," She smiled. "Mind if I sit?"

He shook his head with a smile. "Not at all, Agent Skye."

She smiled sadly and sat in a lounge chair next to him. He offered her the bag of chips and she stuck her hand in with a smile. "Thanks."

"What's got you up so late?" he asked. "Bad dreams?"

"The worst," she frowned before munching on the chips she'd taken from him.

"Is it about him?"

She swallowed. "Sometimes…"

"But other times?"

"They're about Garrett too," she shuddered. "And Quinn…. And who my real parents are… Didn't you hear? I'm dangerous."

He shook his head. "I don't think you're dangerous."

She cracked a smile. "Stick around…. I might surprise you."

"You do surprise me."

She snapped her head toward him to catch him smiling.

"You surprise me… every single day," he answered. "You're stronger than you think… you found out your S.O. was a traitor and you held it together."

"You should have seen me in my room… I was hysterical," she answered playing with the new pajama pants she'd bought earlier. They were uncomfortable… cheap. "May practically had to come calm me down."

Triplett laughed. "I can't picture Agent May handing out relationship advice."

"She wasn't," Skye shrugged. "She just understood because she and Grant…"

Skye looked at him with a shrug.

"Really?" Triplett asked.

Skye nodded. "It was a while ago… I don't think it was serious. They didn't act like it was."

"So she could understand that level of betrayal…"

Skye nodded.

"You know I can too, right?" Triplett asked. "Understand… I mean…"

She nodded. "Your S.O. screwed you over just like mine did… I know…"

"I wasn't in love with my S.O."

She shook her head. "No… you weren't…"

"But I still understand that level of betrayal…" Triplett answered. "Garrett was like a father to me."

"I'm really sorry he's dead." Skye told him. "But I'm not sorry at the same time. Does that make me an awful person?"

"No," he shook his head. "It just makes you human."

"I don't think I'm even actually human…"

"Actually… I think you're the most human out of all of us."

-

He watched her from afar. It'd been easy to find where they'd gone to hide. Coulson had taught them all the same. Cheap motel, nothing extravagant, blend in… stay close… He'd only had to check a few hotels before he'd found one with Triplett sitting out front like the loyal, watchful protector that he was. And then she'd come out and sat down next to the other agent.

And they'd talked.

And talked.

And he wanted nothing more than to go over there and explain everything. He wanted to tell her the whole truth and make her understand why he did it. Why he had to do it. Why he was still doing it.

He'd called Raina to tell her what happened. She hadn't taken it well. He promised that he'd be back within a couple days but honestly, he was giving her time that she needed. He hated Garrett and he hated her but he wasn't a complete monster. He knew she was devoted to Garrett.

Being with Raina was part of his mission. It was part of his duplicity. He'd used her much in the same way that he'd used May. But that didn't mean he didn't care about her feelings. That didn't mean he didn't feel any guilt over what happened. She cared about Garrett. She may have even loved him. She would want revenge. And he'd have to placate her. That meant more people would have to die in order for him to keep his cover inside the organization.

His new mission was to find out who it was that Garrett was reporting to. Garrett never told him. But he knew it wasn't Alexander Pierce. There was someone else above Pierce. And that someone couldn't know about Skye. He'd make it his mission for no one to ever find out about her. Whoever she was… whatever she was… he'd vowed to protect her with his life. He'd vowed to protect her long before he knew she was who he'd been sent to find and protect. Knowing the truth only further cemented that mission.


	8. I Need You to Guide Me to Safety

Coulson stepped into the main area of the bunker they'd currently inhabited. "We have a lead on Raina."

Fitz, Trip and Simmons looked up from their card game as May turned from the security footage she was watching on the computer monitors.

"Raina?" Fitz asked. "After all this time?"

"It's been weeks, sir!" Simmons nodded.

"Skye hacked a camera feed," Coulson explained.

Skye stepped forward holding a tablet. "I ran facial recognition. It's her," she nodded toward the computer monitors in the room. "And guess who's with her…"

The team turned to look. The shock in the room was evident.

"Ward?"

"Guess he took over Garrett's operation," Trip muttered.

Coulson glanced at May who looked just as confused as he had.

"We find Ward… we find Raina," Skye mumbled with a shrug. "Or vice versa."

"Where do we start?" May asked.

"Where it all began," Coulson answered. "We're going back to New York."

-

The team walked into the penthouse overlooking the city. The younger team members were in awe, dropping their bags in the middle of the foyer. Coulson and May glanced at each other, sharing small smiles.

"What is this place, sir?" Trip asked.

"It's safe. Not on the books… This place won't be traced back to us," Coulson answered.

Trip nodded in understanding.

Skye was setting up her laptop by the giant floor to ceiling windows. "I should be able to tap into all the security cameras in the city. We'll find them…"

Coulson nodded before turning to Fitz and Simmons.

"We have the I.C.E.R.S. ready," Simmons told him.

Coulson turned toward May and Trip last.

"We'll be ready," May crossed her arms.

"Remember it's just us… There is no backup. No one is coming to help," Coulson started. "For what it's worth… thank you… for staying by my side…."

Everyone turned to each other, smiling softly.

"With all due respect, sir," Fitz spoke up. "There's no other man we'd rather follow."

-

Skye was sitting on the balcony overlooking the city when the sliding door behind her opened. She went for the I.C.E.R. at her side and aimed at the intruder who turned out to be May.

"Sorry," she mumbled, putting the weapon away. "I'm a little jumpy lately."

"It's to be expected," May gave her a shrug before sitting in a chair next to her. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Skye turned to her with confusion.

"That security footage…" May started. "That was the first time you'd seen him since…"

Skye nodded. "He looks different."

"Older…"

"Worn out…"

May nodded in understanding.

"And he's grown a beard," Skye scrunched up her face.

May bit back a smile before glancing down at her feet. "Do you miss him?"

Skye shrugged. "Sometimes… I do… I guess…" she turned toward the older woman. "Like when Fitz does or says something I know would have made him laugh… or when Trip's training with me… he does his technique a little different than him and I can't forget what he taught me… It's little things…"

May leaned forward placing a hand on the young girl's knee. "It's okay to miss him…"

"It's a weakness… I'll keep it under control," Skye told her. "I won't compromise the mission…"

May shook her head. "No it isn't… caring about someone isn't a weakness, Skye… why would you think that?"

"It made me vulnerable… I should have seen it… I'm good at reading people and the one person I spent the most time with had me fooled. Hell, I trusted him more than I trusted you!"

"I didn't give you very much reason to trust me…"

"No, you didn't but still…"

"Skye, listen to me… caring about him… no matter what he's done… does not make you weak… it makes you human…"

"May, you know what I am… I'm not-"

"Let me finish…"

Skye closed her mouth and swallowed thickly.

"He hurt you… he betrayed you… and you have every right to be upset and angry with him… but you also still have a right to care about him… to miss him… don't hate yourself for it…"

Skye smiled softly. "Thank you…"

"You should get some sleep," May sat back. "We have work to do early in the morning…"

Skye nodded and stood walking back into the Penthouse suite. May was settling in on a chair comfortably when the sliding door opened again.

"What'd you tell her?"

May's eyes were closed. "What she needed to hear in order to focus…"

"Was any of it true?"

One of May's eyes opened to look at him.

"Forget I asked," Coulson mumbled before walking back into the penthouse.

-

He was walking back to their base when his cell phone rang.

"Yeah?"

"Are you on your way back yet?" her voice was irritating in his ear.

"Yes," he clenched his jaw. "Why?"

"I need you to make a pit stop," Raina told him.

"What do you need, Raina," he sighed on the phone. "I'm exhausted."

"Fine," he could tell she was smiling. "I'll just send one of my toy soldiers to pick her up instead…"

"Pick who up?" he stopped at a street corner, looking over his shoulder.

"Who do you think? Skye, of course. She's in the city."

-

She hated late night cravings. She'd drawn the short end of the stick and was stuck sneaking out of the penthouse to satisfy Fitz's late night cravings. She lowered the brim of the baseball cap over her eyes as she walked toward the register in the small convenience store.

She didn't pay attention to the door of the convenience store opening and someone standing behind her, almost looming.

"Getting caught on security cameras, rookie?" she stiffened at the sound of his voice behind her. "I taught you better than that."

She went to turn toward him.

"Don't turn around… don't look up," he stepped closer into her space to keep her from looking at him. "They're watching us. Just walk out of here and go to the alley around back. I'll meet you there."

She schooled her features and paid the cashier. She turned to leave and stepped outside wondering if she should follow his instruction. She stepped into the dark alley and instantly regretted her decision when he came around the corner.

"You've got some nerve…" she said, mentally kicking herself for not bringing an I.C.E.R.

"I needed to get you somewhere there weren't any cameras for her to be watching on," he explained.

"You mean Raina…"

"She's looking for you," he said walking toward her.

"What?" Skye took step back. "Why?"

Ward stopped himself before he reached her. "You don't know?"

"What do you know?" she asked.

"Skye, I know you're the 0-8-4," he rolled his eyes at her.

"What do you mean the…"

"What do you know about where you came from, Skye?"

"Clearly not as much as you," she narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "How the hell do you know so much?"

Ward swallowed thickly and frowned. "My mission was to find you and protect you."

"Find me?" she asked. "You're joking, right? Do you honestly expect me to believe that?"

He shook his head. "I wish I was… I didn't know who you were that day I pulled you out of your van… we didn't know you were the 0-8-4 we'd been looking for… we thought it was the weapon we found in Peru but it didn't match up so we kept looking… and then Raina figured it out…"

"Who's we?" she clenched her jaw.

"I can't tell you that…"

"Why the hell not?"

"For their safety," he answered as truthfully as he could. "And yours… especially yours…"

"You've been lying… all this time…"

"I did it to keep you safe."

"And working with Raina… is that supposed to keep me safe?"

"I'm trying, Skye," he stood in front of her. "I've been trying to protect you this entire time… and I'm failing… and I'm sorry… but my main priority is to keep you from Raina… and you're not exactly making it easy."

"She caught me on one camera… she got lucky…"

He smiled softly and shook his head. "You haven't changed at all…"

"And you're not who I thought you were…"

"I'm who I have to be… I always have been."

Her eyes watered. She bit her lower lip, keeping the tears she'd been holding back from spilling. "Come back with me…"

"You know I can't do that," he answered.

"Why not?"

"He needs me on the inside," Ward explained. "I don't expect you to understand…"

"I thought you were loyal to Garrett…"

"I was…"

"But Garrett is dead…"

"I know."

"And you killed him," Skye whispered.

"I did…"

"Who are you?"

"I…"

"Do you even know?" she asked.

"Skye…" he lifted his hand to touch her face and was surprised to see that she let him. "I need you to leave… don't come after us… don't look for me… tell Coulson that he needs to keep you as far from Raina as he possibly can… it's for your safety."

She touched the back of his hand on her face.

"What does she even want with me?" Skye asked. "She doesn't scare me."

"It's not her I'm worried about… it's who she's working for that I'm afraid of," he answered.

"Who?"

"Your father…"

-

Skye burst into the penthouse, turning all the lights on. May, Trip and Coulson walked into the foyer with I.C.E.R.S. in their hands. Fitz and Simmons walked out of the room they were sharing with Trip and Skye.

"Skye…" Coulson pocketed his weapon. "What's wrong?"

"We need to go…" she answered packing her things.

"What happened?" May asked.

"I ran into Ward…"

"What?" Coulson stepped forward. "Where the hell have you been?"

"I went to get Fitz his snacks… and Ward found me somehow… I guess they're monitoring security cameras too… or Raina is or whatever… the point is they know we're here and they're coming after us… he came to warn me… we need to go…"

"Skye… you're not making sense," May tried.

"Ward told me some things… I'll explain on the way… but right now we're not safe and we need to move."

Coulson nodded slowly before giving May and Trip instructions to pack everything. Fitz and Simmons were tasked with packing their own things while Skye put her laptop in a bag and threw it over her shoulder.

"You sure we can trust him?" Coulson asked.

"I've never been more sure," Skye whispered. "But he's working for someone… and this mission is going to get him killed. It's a suicide mission, Coulson."

Coulson frowned. "I think I know who it is he's working for…"

"Good," Skye nodded. "We find them and we get them to release Ward. Who do you think it is?"

"Fury…" Coulson answered.

"But Director Fury is dead…"

"Exactly..."

-

"Now how did she get away from you again?" Raina crossed her arms with narrowed eyes.

"She's been training with Trip and May… I didn't expect her to get the upper hand like she did," Ward winced while one of Raina's doctors patched him up.

"She got you good…" Raina remarked. "Real good…"

"I also taught her some of what she knows…" Ward shrugged.

"You sound proud," Raina smirked.

"A little bit… yeah," he felt himself smile softly.

"You wouldn't be trying to screw us over, would you?" Raina asked.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"All you had to do was bring her back to us and she got away and now I'm sure she's gone with the wind… you've ruined our chances at getting her back."

"There'll be other chances…"

"You better hope so…"

Raina turned and walked away.

"Don't worry about her son," the doctor told him. "We'll get the girl…"

Ward nodded, looking at the ground. "Yeah… we will…"

The doctor smiled viciously as he worked on the specialist's cuts.

"We most certainly will," he muttered to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: Now that I've got my groove back, I think I'm kicking it into high gear with this one... next up... Skye is going to meet Ward's handler... that should be fun to write. ;)


	9. So Show Me Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: I think this is the chapter y'all have been waiting for... let's just say... this flashes back to Ward and Skye's meeting and there's an extended version you haven't read yet... Rating got bumped up because of this chapter.

Maria Hill walked through the dimly lit parking garage toward her black SUV. She fumbled with her bag when her phone rang, answering it on the second ring. "Hey Pepper… I just got out of the meeting with Congress… My flight back to New York is in the morning… Tell Tony not to be late to the airport. And to not pick me up in that damn Iron Man suit. On second thought… I'll just get a cab. Don't tell him anything… I'll see you tomorrow."

She backed out of the parking spot, heading toward her hotel and groaned when she noticed the detour signs with construction worker re-directing traffic. "Of all the damn times for a detour…" she muttered, following the signs leading her back to her hotel.

The street lights all turned green suddenly as she drove through an intersection, following the detour that had been set up. The detour led her to the end of an abandoned bridge. Maria let the SUV come to a complete stop and looked around. She knew something wasn't right. She opened her glove compartment, searching for the gun she kept in there but frowned when she didn't find it.

"Shit." she muttered before looking up to find a dark figure standing in front of her. Her eyes widened when a knock on the window of her door made her jump. She looked outside to find a familiar face smiling. "Phil?!"

"Sorry about the theatrics… we had to get your attention…"

"We?"

She turned to see the rest of Coulson's team coming out of the shadows including the suspicious construction worker who'd set her on the detour that she now recognized was Agent Triplett.

"We need your help, Maria," he started as she opened the door to get out of the car. "We need to find Fury…"

-

Maria's arms were crossed as she heard the story they were telling her.

"Are you insane?" she asked the room. They'd taken her to a nearby warehouse where they'd been hiding. "You're telling me that a known traitor was working for Fury all along?"

Coulson shrugged. "Stranger things have happened…"

"Phil…" Maria sighed. "Grant Ward was not working for Director Fury… I would have known about it…"

Skye spoke up. "No one knew about this mission except Director Fury…"

"And how do you know that?"

"Because Ward told me he's protecting someone… that someone is Fury," Skye answered.

"Of course he did…" Maria mumbled. "Look, Skye, is it?" the younger girl nodded. "I get that you were attached to Ward. But he's Hydra. He's on wanted lists all over the world… Interpol, CIA, FBI… there is not one single agency in the world that does not want his head on a silver platter. He's one of the bad guys… I'm sorry."

Skye bit her lip. "Then let's ask Fury."

Maria closed her eyes, getting agitated. "Fury's dead."

Skye started to take a step closer toward her but Coulson blocked her path.

"Come on, Maria," Coulson smiled. "We all know that he's not. You can contact him and we need you to."

"I can't bring back the dead, Phil," Maria closed her eyes realizing her poor choice of words.

"You and I both know that's not true…" Coulson frowned. "Let's work together on this. If Fury can corroborate Ward's story, great… and if he doesn't, we'll leave it alone."

Maria sat down in a chair. "You've always been a pain in my ass, Phil Coulson."

"Nonsense," Phil smirked. "I've always been your favorite."

Maria shook her head. "Fine… I'll reach out. If he makes contact and it's a big if, we'll ask him."

"I want to be there," Skye spoke up.

"No," Maria shook her head. "You're not even a SHIELD agent!"

"Technically no one is," Skye muttered.

"Maria," Coulson started. "Skye needs to hear whatever Fury has to say with her own two ears. It's the only way she's ever going to be able to let this go."

Maria groaned in annoyance. "Fine… I'll try to make the arrangement for you."

"How will we know when to meet him?" Skye asked.

"He'll come to you," Maria looked at Coulson. "He always does."

-

It'd been a few weeks since Maria promised to contact Fury for them. They were in Miami, hiding out in an old safe house near the beach.

"Of all the safe houses we've been to," Trip sat on the sand with his beer next to Fitz and Simmons. "This is my favorite."

"I'll drink to that!" Fitz nodded clinking their beer bottles together. "Cheers, mate!"

Trip gave him a bright smile before turning toward the water. He watched Skye sitting at the edge of the beach.

"How's she doing?"

"She's sad," Simmons answered.

"She's hiding something," May walked up behind them.

The three younger agents turned to look at her.

"What could she possibly be hiding, Agent May?" Simmons asked.

"I don't know," May mumbled. "But ever since she ran into Ward, she's been more determined to find out the truth."

"She misses him," Fitz answered. "She was in love with him…"

May shook her head. "There's something else that is different about her."

Coulson walked out of the beach house, strolling up to them. "Get Skye… Fury is making contact."

"What? How?" Simmons asked.

"He's coming here," Coulson shrugged.

"He knows where we are?" May asked him. "How? Are we sure it's him?"

Coulson shrugged. "It's Fury and yes. Get her, May. Bring her inside."

May nodded before turning toward the young girl.

"The rest of you… inside," Coulson mumbled. "We need to protect the house in case it's not actually Fury. Come on…"

-

Skye was standing far away from the door when the dark pick-up truck pulled into their driveway. The entire room fell quiet and waited for the driver to step out of the truck. Coulson was standing by the window, watching.

"If it's not him, everyone knows what do," Coulson turned to the room.

"Protect Skye," Trip nodded standing near her. "Got it, sir."

Coulson nodded before turning back to the window. He sighed in relief when the familiar figure got out of the truck and casually walked to the front door. He opened the door quickly and rushed him inside. Nick Fury turned toward him with a look of annoyance.

"What the hell am I doing here, Coulson?" Fury asked with his hands on his hips.

Coulson glanced at Skye. Fury turned toward her, his eyes widening.

"Is that?"

Skye stood up. "Yes… now that you have me, you can bring him home."

"Bring who home?" Fury asked.

"Ward…" Skye answered.

Fury frowned.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about…"

"Ward told her," Coulson cut him off. "He told her everything… about how Garrett brought him in to spy on SHIELD for Hydra, how he was put on my team to find out how I was brought back to life, how you figured it out and had him pretend to kill Agent Hand to keep Garrett's trust… how all you've ever wanted or cared about is finding the 0-8-4 for yourself… you've been manipulating us all… all along… you've held all the pieces…"

"Phil…"

"No," Coulson stopped him. "It ends here. You get to be the one to save that kid, Nick. Someone has to."

"I can't…" Fury told him. "He's in too deep."

"What does that mean?" Skye asked.

"There's no plan to extract him…" Fury shrugged. "His mission was complete the moment he figured out who you were… he's gone rogue… joined Raina's side… I can't even contact him anymore."

Skye felt her lip twitch in a smirk. "He mentioned you'd say that."

Fury was taken aback. "How much did he tell you?"

Skye stood in front of him, staring at him defiantly. "He told me everything."

"Well, he lied."

"Did he," she asked. "Or are you the liar?"

"You better watch your tone with me, young lady, or-"

"You'll what?" Skye asked. "I'm your life's work, Director Fury… you've been looking for me for two decades and now that you've found me, what are you going to do?"

The rest of the room watched her quietly.

"Nothing…" she answered for him. "The answer is nothing. Now, you are going to find a way to bring him home."

"And if I don't?" Fury asked.

"Then I'll disappear… and you won't find me or what's growing inside me for that matter… ever…"

-

_"Skye…" he lifted his hand to touch her face and was surprised to see that she let him. "I need you to leave… don't come after us… don't look for me… tell Coulson that he needs to keep you as far from Raina as he possibly can… it's for your safety."_

_She touched the back of his hand on her face._

_"What does she even want with me?" Skye asked. "She doesn't scare me."_

_"It's not her I'm worried about… it's who she's working for that I'm afraid of," he answered._

_"Who?"_

_"Your father…"_

_She looked at him with watered eyes before stepping on her tip toes to plant a kiss on him. It was supposed to be a goodbye kiss. Like their first kiss had been. She took a step back and started to walk away but he tugged on her hand pulling her toward him, crashing his lips on hers. He bit her lower lip making her moan and lifted her off the ground so she could wrap her legs against his waist._

_In seconds, she was up against a wall and she could feel his arousal against her thigh. He peppered wet kisses from her lips to her jaw until he reached her neck._

_With some maneuvering, he was able to unbuckle their pants. Skye knew that anyone could catch them at anytime. This was dangerous. But she couldn't stop herself. She wanted this. She needed this. She missed him. And she knew he missed her. It'd been so long. They'd been denying themselves for too long._

_When he entered her swiftly, she tossed her head back in ecstasy. She kissed him while he moved within her, swallowing his groans. It wasn't long before he was shuddering and she was crying out his name. They both came down from their highs together. She smiled softly, touching the scar on his cheek._

_"I love you," she whispered._

_"I love you, too, Skye," he told her as he pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "More than you'll ever know. But you have to go now… you need to leave… It's not safe for you here… my handler…"_

_"Ward, tell me… I need more information to take back to Coulson for him to believe me… you know that."_

_Ward nodded. "I was assigned to spy on Coulson by Garrett… I was supposed to find out how Coulson was brought back t life… but my handler found out… before I got on that plane they pulled me aside and put me on a new mission… to find you and to protect you for them… I didn't have a choice… it was either this or prison… but we had no idea the 0-8-4 was a person… we didn't know it was you… I had to still report to Garrett… make him believe I was doing what he asked of me. So I fed him information on everyone… small stuff… intel I thought was worthless… I didn't know you were the 0-8-4 until after what happened with Hand…"_

_"After you killed her?"_

_"Hand's not dead," Ward smirked. "I only had to make it look believable. It wasn't hard. She did leave me to die once. It was easy fooling Garrett."_

_Her eyes widened. "Then where the hell is she?"_

_"I have no idea…" Ward shook his head. "I wasn't told."_

_She nodded understanding. "I'll tell Coulson everything… We'll leave tonight…"_

_He smirked. "Everything?"_

_Skye blushed. "Well, maybe not everything…"_

_"Skye," he turned serious again. "Be careful…"_

_She nodded. "You too…"_

_He kissed her again and watched her leave before turning in the opposite direction and walking away._

-

The knock on her door got her attention. She was reliving the last night she'd seen him. Just like she'd been doing for the last few weeks since she saw him. She'd been thinking about it more and more since finding out what she'd just revealed to everyone.

"Skye?"

She turned toward him and smiled before sitting up in her bed. Coulson smiled, walking into the room and closing the door softly behind him.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," Skye told him as he sat down on the bed next to her. "I didn't know how you'd react…"

"Well, I would have liked to have found out a little more gently but I get it… We all do," he assured her.

"How's everyone taking it?" she asked scrunching her face.

"They're shocked," Coulson nodded. "May is little furious but not at you…"

Skye chuckled. "It wasn't exactly his fault… I kissed him and…"

"I don't really need the details," Coulson cut her off.

Skye nodded, hiding a smile. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about…"

"What did Fury say when I walked out?" Skye asked.

"Not much…" Coulson admitted. "I think he was as shocked as the rest of us…"

"He wants to study us," Skye said.

"I won't let that happen," Coulson promised her.

"I know you won't," she smiled. "But he's the only one that can bring Ward home and I'm willing to make a deal…"

"Skye…"

"He can have me after the baby is born," Skye nodded. "If it means bringing Ward home, he can do whatever he wants to me…."

"Skye…"

"Ward deserves to be free, Coulson," Skye told him.

"I agree," Coulson nodded. "But not at your expense. We'll figure it out. Even if we have to do it alone."

Skye smiled. "We're really gonna do this then? Take on Raina and her entire operation?"

Coulson smirked. "We've always done pretty good on our own." He placed a hand on her unnoticeable growing belly. "Now we have even more reason to succeed."


	10. Even if Saving You Sends Me to Heaven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack. As promised.... I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to come back to this story. Honestly, I just needed to find my love for Coulson again. I've decided to ignore season 2-3 Coulson. Hell, I'm ignoring back half of season 1 Coulson. I'm sticking with the character that we were first introduced to in the films and early season 1. The fact that I'm really enjoying the new Agents of SHIELD comic has really helped me get that love back for this character. I hope this was worth the wait though. If it wasn't, I'm really sorry to have let you down... But if it was, please let me know in the comments below. Kudos and comments are what motivates us to keep writing so it's definitely greatly appreciated. Hope you like it! =]

He walked into the house with his gun drawn and a few Hydra foot soldiers behind him. Raina had sent him to a beachfront property in Miami because she believed it to be where Coulson and his team were hiding. 

He stopped in the living room and lowered his gun when he knew the place had been abandoned. Speaking into his earpiece, he tried to hide the smile in his voice. “Place is empty, Raina. They’re not here.”

“Sir,” one of the men that had come with him called out. “We found something in the bathroom.” 

Ward followed him to the back of the house and looked inside the waste basket another solder was holding with a frown. “You found trash?”

“There’s a pregnancy test.”

The color drained from Ward’s face. He cleared his throat with a frown. “It’s probably nothing…”

“We should take it back to Raina so she can find out if it’s nothing.”

Ward forced a tight smile. “Good idea.”

The drive back to base was quiet for Ward. He silently watched their findings be handed over to Raina and Cal. He hoped it was nothing but a feeling in his gut told them that they’d just handed over the Holy Grail. 

It was a few hours before Raina had gotten back the results for the tests she’d run on the pregnancy test and only minutes before she compared it to Skye’s DNA on the hard drive he’d stolen. The triumphant look she’d given him confirmed all his fears: the test was Skye’s. 

-

He was in his bunk when two of Hydra’s super soldiers walked in. They crossed their arms, stepping aside to let Raina through. 

“You know,” she started slowly. “I thought about the time frame.”

“About what?” 

“Skye’s pregnancy,” she continued. “When you brought me the hard drive that kind of information would have been on there if she were already with child. But it wasn’t which would mean that she got pregnant after Hydra’s coming out party. And that made me wonder… who was the father?”

Ward silently watched her pace his room before she turned to him with a knowing smile.

“And then it hit me,” she told him. “I mean, at first I thought she’d moved on with Garrett’s other protégé… seems that she has a type after all… but I don’t think that’s the case. You’d be more upset that she’s moved on.”

When he tried to open his mouth to speak, she put her hand up to stop him. 

“Please do not insult me by presuming to think that I do not know you that well.”

“Then there’s New York.” She smirked. “We have a confirmed sighting that she was there. And you did not deny running into her. You also let her get away when she got the upper hand… at least that’s what you told us happened. Or maybe you let her get away because of an entirely different reason.”

Ward gave her a smug grin, crossing his own arms. “You think I’m the father? I mean, I’m flattered but even if I wanted to sleep with an alien, Skye wouldn’t go near me. Not with how we left things. She detests me…. Thinks I’m a monster...”

"Are you? Or is that what Garrett made you?" Raina smirked. “Okay then… if you’re not the father then this next part will be easy for you.”

Ward glanced at the two guards in the room who started toward him. 

“You’ll be the bait,” Raina explained when the two super soldiers apprehended him. “You see, I do believe you are the father… and I believe she will come for you. And when she does, we’ll have her and that abomination of a baby.”

Cal casually strolled into the room. “What makes you think she’ll come for this one?”

“Because,” Raina turned back toward Ward with a sultry smile. “It’s love.”

A needle pricked Ward’s neck. 

“Raina…” he tried but his vision blurred and then everything went black.

-

Skye was cleaning the guns in front of her just as Ward had taught her in one of his earlier lessons. She was glaring at Fury who was talking to Coulson a few feet away.

“You do know who that man is, right?” Trip asked as he sat down next to her, picking up one of the guns to examine it. “Not bad…. He taught you well.”

“Thanks,” she smiled softly. “And of course I know who he is… doesn’t mean I like him though.”

“I get it,” Trip nodded. “What he did… it’s pretty unforgivable. But he had his reasons, Skye. We owe it to him to let him explain what they are.”

“He thought I was a weapon and he wanted S.H.I.E.L.D. to have the upper hand, that’s all it was.”

“Maybe… but at least he trusted Ward with this mission.”

“Ward was just a pawn in his war, Trip. So was I. We all were.”

Trip frowned before placing a hand on her shoulder. “We’re getting him back. And then you guys can have a really long talk. I think you need it.”

Skye smiled. “I know… thank you.”

He leaned in to kiss the crown of her head and stood up. “I got your back. I’ll always have your back.”

Skye smiled softly, watching him walk away when Coulson sat down across from her. 

Skye turned back toward him with an eye roll, nodding toward Fury. “What did he want?”

“He can’t spare any resources to get Ward.”

“Shocker,” Skye growled giving Coulson a fake smile.

He shook his head at her. “People have to go on believing he’s dead. So we’re on our own.”

“Of course we are…” she put the gun down and crossed her arms in front of her.

“But,” Coulson smiled softly, leaning forward to fold his hands. “He promises that if we do pull this off, he will make sure that Ward is exonerated. He’ll be a free man in more ways than one.”

“And me?”

“I told him he couldn’t have you.” Coulson continued. “That was a deal breaker. You’re not S.H.I.E.L.D.’s secret warrior or weapon and neither is your child. You’d be left alone for the most part… under my supervision of course. It’d be like nothing’s changed. Except…”

Skye sat up straighter. 

“Ward will no longer be S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Skye.”

“But you just said he was going to exonerate him.” 

“Yes, but Ward’s committed a lot of crimes that a lot of agents won’t be able to forgive.”

“Hand’s alive, Coulson. And Fury knows where she is.”

“Yes, but Victoria has to also stay dead to the world for her own protection.”

“So that’s it?” Skye asked. “We save Ward and he’s just on his own.”

“I’m sorry, Skye.”

“While I’m stuck here being watched….”

“Not necessarily,” Coulson continued. “I told Fury that I would take responsibility for you but that doesn’t mean you have to stay here. I figured you’d want to be with him so May and I have procured a safe house for you both…. It’s not much… just a small cabin in the middle of nowhere oomph-“ 

Skye had thrown herself at him, hugging him tightly. She pulled away with a watery smile. “Thank you… Thank you… Thank you….” She hugged him again. Coulson looked over her shoulder to find May watching the exchange. With a swift nod at him, she continued walking so she wouldn’t interrupt. 

Skye pulled back and put her hand on her belly. “When do we leave?”

“This next part is my condition….” 

“Coulson…”

“He wouldn’t want me to take you on this mission, Skye, especially now that you’re pregnant. So you’ll be running comms here with Fitz and Simmons.”

She nodded in understanding. “Fine. But bring him home… please.”

“I promise,” Coulson told her. “We’ll bring him back.”


	11. It Happens in a Blink

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: I love writing Raina... she's such a fun complex character. Feel free to comment and let me know you think so far. Things are getting more complicated. And not everyone is a bad guy by choice in this world. Remember that... And some people just make the wrong choice for all the wrong reasons. ;)

The steel door cracked open to let her in. He'd woken up a few hours ago inside of the bare cell he assumed was in the basement of their base. They'd thrown a mattress on the floor and called it a bed. He hadn't even been given a pillow.

"How far the mighty have fallen," Raina commented as the door shut behind her.

He was lying on the mattress with his hands folded behind his head, staring at the stone ceiling above him. "What do you want, Raina?"

"I came to check on you," she shrugged looking around at the empty cell. "To make sure you had everything you needed."

"A real bed would be nice," he narrowed his eyes, sitting up to level her with a glare. "A real meal wouldn't hurt either." The sludge that they called oatmeal was almost insulting. But he'd really enjoyed throwing the bowl at the super soldier that had been tasked with delivering it.

Raina gave him a knowing smile.

"What are you so happy about?" Ward asked, standing and leaning against the wall.

"It's only a matter of time before they come for you," she shrugged. "Especially with Skye being pregnant…. Do you think she'll come with them? I do hope to see her face to face so I can congratulate her on the baby."

Ward dropped his arms and clenched his jaw. "Stay the hell away from her."

"And how are you going to stop me?" she asked. "You're down here and I'll be up there…"

"I should have killed you when I had the chance," Ward told her.

"Like you killed Garrett?" she asked. His eyes widened, confirming her suspicions. "You think I didn't know? I knew… And I've just been biding my time, waiting for you to mess up so I could catch you. I never imagined that your downfall would be not being able to keep it in your pants. Typical…" she shrugged nonchalantly.

"When I get out of here, I am going to snap your neck," he growled at her.

"Is that a threat?"

"It's a fucking promise."

"I can't wait," she winked at him with a smile before knocking on the door. It opened as she looked over her shoulder one last time, "I'll give Skye your regards."

She left, shutting the door behind her. Ward sat on the mattress with his head in his hands hoping that Skye wouldn't come for him and wishing he could warn her about Raina's trap.

-

As far as rescues go, Coulson knew this one was probably one of the most difficult he'd have to carry out in his career as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Without backup and despite being seriously outnumbered, he'd made a promise to Skye and he intended on keeping it. He was flanked on either side by Trip and May since they'd left Skye with Fitzsimmons back at their base. They'd always done well on their own though. They'd overcome the odds before and they could do it again.

That's why Coulson was surprised to find that the base where Hydra was holding Ward was so easy to infiltrate. They expected more resistance but had only encountered a handful of super soldiers that had seemingly been left behind for them. For the most part, the base was empty… just like Cuba.

Coulson touched the ear piece he was wearing with a sigh. "Skye? We need your help here."

"I'm in their security feed. I can see you. It really does look empty."

"Where's Ward then?" Trip asked.

"He should be there," Fitz spoke up. "As far as we know, this is where they were holding him."

"Coulson, there's a basement." Skye said in his ear.

"That's where we're heading now," Coulson answered. "Standby…"

He turned off his comm for the moment until they could secure the downstairs area. The three operatives took the steps one by one slowly and quietly. May went first with Coulson in the middle and Trip right behind him. Before Coulson could ask, May was already downstairs with a super soldier passed out at her feet. She cracked her neck with a stoic look and bent to search for keys.

"We need to hurry up in case more come," Trip told them.

Coulson nodded, putting his gun away and running down the hall calling for Ward. Eventually, he heard the younger man call out to him.

"Coulson?"

"It's me," he answered. "I'm with May and Trip."

"I never thought I'd be glad to see you again, boss."

Coulson nodded releasing a breath. "May, the key…"

She tried all the keys on the chain and frowned with a shake of her head. None of them worked. He knew something was wrong and that this rescue was taking way too long.

"We need to blow the door," Trip told him.

Coulson nodded before turning back to the door. "Ward, can you take cover?"

"All I have in here is a mattress but it should work."

"Okay, get behind that. We're going to blow the door to get you out."

"Copy that."

Coulson glanced at Trip before the other man stepped up to the door, rigging it to blow. He signaled that he was done and the three of them ran to the same staircase they'd come down to take cover. A few seconds later, a small explosion blew. Coulson glanced at Trip in confusion.

"I thought it'd be bigg-"

The louder explosion cut him off and the door burst off its hinges. Coulson looked around the corner to see Ward stepping into the hallway and walking toward them.

"Are you injured?" Coulson asked.

Ward shook his head. "They drugged me but that was hours ago… Where's Skye?"

"She's safe," Coulson told him. "She's back at the base with Fitzsimmons."

"The three of you took down everyone?" Ward asked with confusion. May gave him a sidelong glance that had him explaining. "I know you can take down an entire room, May, but there was an army here. And where's Raina?"

Coulson shook his head.

"Cal?" Ward asked.

"Who's Cal?"

"Dr. Zabo? Skye's father…."

Coulson shrugged. "They weren't here."

"That doesn't make sense." Ward told him. "She was taunting me that she was waiting for you… for Skye…"

"They weren't here when we got here, Ward."

"Something's wrong…." Ward told him. "Get Skye and Fitzsimmons on comms now, Coulson."

Coulson eyed him with confusion before turning his comm back on. "Skye, you there?"

There was static in his ear but he tried again anyway. "Skye, can you read me?"

No answer.

"She's not answering but maybe we're not getting a signal down here. Let's get out of here and back on the Bus. I'll try again when we get up there."

Ward nodded but the fear in his eyes was clear as glass. He was worried. And Coulson started to feel that same worry and fear gnaw at him.

-

The entire ride back to base was quiet. Coulson had been trying to reach Skye and Fitzsimmons but had been unable to get in touch with them. By the time the plane landed, Ward already had the cargo hold open and was jumping off before May could fully kill the engine.

Coulson's fears became realized when he saw the small based turned over and ransacked.

"Oh god…" he mumbled watching Ward turning over furniture and calling out Skye's name. Coulson heard groaning coming from his left and quickly ran to turn over a wooden table, finding Fitz under it.

"Fitz, what happened?"

"They showed up right after you went silent on the comms," the young scientist said.

"Who?"

"Raina and Cal," Ward answered, standing over both of them.

"Where are Skye and Simmons?"

"They took them," Fitz answered. "They took them both… Coulson they knew about the baby."

Grant pushed the heels of his palms against his eyes in frustration to hold back the tears he was ready to shed.

"Raina said that they wanted Skye but they took Simmons too…"

"Why would they take Simmons?"

"She's a doctor," May spoke up.

"So is Cal," Ward told her. "But he won't experiment on his own daughter. He's a lot of things but he loves his daughter."

"Skye's father? Only Raina was here, Ward." Fitz said.

"Not Cal?"

Fitz shook his head. "Just Raina and few super soldiers."

"Raina's gone rogue," Ward kicked a chair making Fitz jump. "This isn't about Cal or what Skye is… Raina just wants to make her suffer."

"Why? What does she have against Skye?" Coulson asked.

"Because of me," Ward frowned. "Raina hates Skye because of me."


End file.
